From the Italian, meaning 'low voice'. To speak quietly out of the corner of your mouth so that the subject of your speech can't hear your insult or know that you are speaking.

"Oh, what a beautiful creature your daughter is", said Mrs. Mulroy saccarinely to Mrs. Katz at the Bat-mitzvah.
"Too bad the zoo can't identify what kind of creature she is", Mrs. Jackson said sotto voce to Mrs. Mulroy as they plastered wide smiles on their faces.

sotto voce by MAC-Gyver May 27, 2003

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Sotto lu schioppu de lu sole

To be under strong sunrays

(Italian)

A: It's so hot today!
B: Of course it is! You're Sotto lu schioppu de lu sole.

A: Let's go for a walk!
B: Are you crazy? We'd be Sotto lu schioppu de lu sole!

Sotto lu schioppu de lu sole by rhodaax February 15, 2023

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sotto-sotto voce

Like sotto voce (commenting softly so that the third-person subject of the comment cannot hear the comment),
but spoken loudly with the intention that the third-person subject will hear that he is being spoken about.

A reversal of sotto voce: sotto-sotto intended to mean a loud voice.

Person 1 speaking to person 2 with person 3 in ear-shot (the subject of the remark):
In sotto-sotto voce: "Someone doesn't know their place!"

sotto-sotto voce by TownWombat April 22, 2024

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sotto-sotto voce

An aside, like sotto voce, but spoken loudly enough that the person who is the subject can hear it.

Note: There is no synonym that I'm aware of.

When he said "someone doesn't know their place!", he didn't say it sotto voce, but sotto-sotto voce, loud enough for all to hear.

sotto-sotto voce by TownWombat May 25, 2024

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trucker's tan

A sunburn or suntan focused on the left arm. It is caused by the left side of the body being the only half that gets exposed to sunlight while driving. Presumably, it would be located on the right side of the body in countries where they drive on the left side of the road.

I had a trucker's tan after driving for 10 straight hours on a sunny day.

trucker's tan by population361 May 30, 2006

Word of the Day on October 5, 2026

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kidulting

The phenomenon where adults salivate at children's toys

Every time I walk into the toy aisle, I catch myself kidulting over the latest action figures and LEGO sets!

kidulting by Emotional Cruiser October 12, 2025

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Boffin

British slang for a scientist or technical expert, esp . when the speaker is not certain of the expert’s specific field of study. Not necessarily derogatory, but typically used by persons without a technical background. In the US, the equivalent would be “egghead”, “squint”, or “geek.”

Origin of the word is unknown. Started sometime in World War 2. Given the typical evolution of British slang, could easily have started because what these experts did was confusing or “baffling” to the common person.

According to the boffins downstairs, the murderer used a serrated blade.

Boffin by Agnon February 11, 2023

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Pee Calculus

When you have to pee in a movie but don’t want to miss anything, and must do the following mental equation: will the amount I have to pee cause enough discomfort to diminish my attention capacity for the remainder of the movie to an extent which is greater than the amount of the movie I would miss by making a mad dash to the restroom.

I saw Satantango last night, wonderful film but by the 5th hour I had to start doing pee calculus.

Pee Calculus by anorlondo October 1, 2026

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