reading my mail

Knowing my thoughts and views without being told.

So, do you want to do a three-way?
You've been reading my mail, honey.

by octopod November 22, 2003

knickers in a twist

Agitated, anxious, in a tizz. British, Strine, and New Zealand. Cf. panties in a knot.

Don't get your knickers in a twist. The Frogs are just that way.

by Octopod November 07, 2003

colored

African-American. The former "polite" term, replaced by "Negro," then by "black," now by "African-American."

White folks in Washington
They sure know how
To call a colored man a nigger,
Just to see him bow.
-- Lead Belly, "Bourgeois Blues"

by octopod June 13, 2004

salt of the earth

Jes' folks; the 36 saints who uphold the world; ordinary people. See the song by the Rolling Stones. Origin in the New Testament.

Say a prayer for the hard-working people. Say a prayer for the salt of the earth.

by octopod November 30, 2003

puppy trainer

A newspaper the speaker wants to put down; a rag; a birdcage liner.

I use the LA Times as a puppy trainer.

by octopod April 20, 2006

mensch

An upstanding, worthy, honorable adult person of either sex. Fr. German and Yiddish for "human being." Cf. Chinese jin, literally "man" but with similar meaning.

Be a mensch! Admit your mistake and make things good.

by Octopod November 08, 2003

Don't try this at home

Anything that's fun or dangerous, from the lawyer warnings on TV commercials. See professional driver on closed course.

Look, he's skateboarding on top of a 767!

Don't try this at home.

by octopod July 11, 2004