Editor's Corner

Hello, folks! The other day I talked about the term “wheelhouse” and traced its journey from ships, to baseball, to business. Today I have another bit of jargon that you might know from one of your latest meetings: across the board. Synonyms for today’s use of the term are: completely, broadly, and universally.

But where did the term come from originally? My resource today is The Grammarist.

Sometimes idiomatic expressions bring together different walks of life. Across the board is an idiom with roots in horse racing, but it’s not exclusive to equestrian enthusiasts. This phrase has trotted its way into business and politics and is now commonly used. So, sit tight as I break down the meaning behind across the board.

Across the Board Meaning Explained

Simply put, across the board means applying to everyone or everything within a certain group or system. If a decision or change is across the board, it affects every individual or aspect without exception.

It’s like when a big chain of stores makes a change to their store policies. It doesn’t just apply to one store. It would be all of them, so the changes are across the board.

What Does Across the Board Mean in Horse Racing?

In the world of horse racing, an across-the-board bet is one where equal amounts of money are wagered on the same horse to win, place, and show in a race. If the horse succeeds, the bettor gets a payout for each result…

This term was later extended metaphorically to describe a situation that affects all sectors equally.

Across the Board Examples in a Sentence

· The tech CEO announced across-the-board bonuses for all his employees next year.

· Our government promised across-the-board carbon cuts with all major oil companies.

· We need to make across-the-board healthy decisions for our family.

· The system updates are across the board.

If you want more examples and more details about this idiom, you can see The Grammarist link (mentioned earlier). The Grammarist encourages you to sprinkle your writing with idioms, but we are at work and I have to disagree. You might feel like “sprinkling” in more personal writing, but you probably want to keep phrases from the race track out of your business reports!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Good morning, friends. I hope that you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. While I was out, I received an interesting link to a video from one of you, about jargon. We’ve talked about jargon many times before (and about trying not to use it), but this video had some fascinating tidbits I hadn’t heard before. Let’s look at one of the terms the presenter brings up: wheelhouse.

I remember the first time that I heard, “That’s not in my wheelhouse.” It was years ago here at work, and I remember it like yesterday, because I had no clue what the person was talking about and I couldn’t wait to go back to my desk and look it up. My coworker was using the more modern idiom referring to “area of interest or expertise.” But here are some older uses of the term, courtesy of Grammar Girl.

A wheelhouse is exactly what it sounds like: the little “house” on a ship where the captain stands, and where the ship’s wheel and other navigational equipment are located…

Although people have been steering ships for centuries, the term “wheelhouse” appeared for the first time in the early 1800s. In 1840, a traveler on a ship that burned and sank in Long Island Sound wrote a letter of complaint to Daniel Webster, then U.S. Secretary of State. The ship’s captain “seemed confused,” the traveler wrote. “He went into the wheel house, and that was the last I saw of him.”

And then the term wheelhouse takes a different turn.

For some reason, in the 1950s, this term was picked up by baseball announcers and reporters. They began to refer to a batter’s “wheelhouse,” by that meaning the area of the strike zone where a batter swings with the most power….

Grammar Girl goes on a bit about how this term, when applied to baseball, seems confusing. I found the following photo, and it seems to reflect the sailor’s wheel perfectly. Hit a ball in there and you’ll hear the crowd roar.

Either way, in the 1980s, the meaning of this term extended once again. It came to mean, and still means, an area or field in which a person excels….

Notice that you can use this phrase in one of two ways. You can say something “is your wheelhouse” or that something “is in your wheelhouse.” Either version is correct, but “in your wheelhouse” may be a little more common.

Enjoy your day!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Good morning, folks!

It’s almost Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year. Sure, there have been some challenging ones in the past: a Seattle power outage, which resulted in going to the International District for Chinese food. A misinterpreted recipe for amazing turkey, which resulted in a salt lick that only one of the guests could handle. A turkey thawed in a toxic paint bucket and the search on Thanksgiving Eve for a replacement. But guess what? Nobody died and each of those times were spent with friends and family. And there was pie.

I have an article for you today from Richard Lederer, our San Diego verbivore. The full article is here: Let’s talk turkey about our Thanksgiving holiday. Before you get started, let me say there are a bunch of “dad jokes” at the end of the article. You have been warned.

Have a happy holiday, everyone!

Thanksgiving Day is mainly a celebration of the harvest, giving thanks for bountiful crops. Traditionally, a particular meal in 1621 is thought to be the first Thanksgiving. Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians sat down together to an autumn feast of venison and wild fowl.

On November 26, 1789, George Washington established the first national celebration of Thanksgiving. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln, hoping to unite a sundered nation, issued a proclamation declaring Thanksgiving to be a national holiday. Congress passed a joint resolution in 1941 decreeing that Thanksgiving should fall on the fourth Thursday of each November, where it remains today. Harry S. Truman established the tradition of granting a presidential pardon to a Thanksgiving turkey, who is then retired, alive and gobbling, to a petting farm.

Food and family are the cornerstones of the holiday. Thanksgiving traditions include preparing sumptuous meals that often include turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.

The Pilgrims found in America a wild fowl somewhat similar in appearance to a fowl they had known back in England—a bird that had acquired the name turkey because it was first imported by way of Turkey, a Middle Eastern nation that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving…

So now’s the time to talk turkey.

Why do turkeys hate Thanksgiving?
Because they’re cut to pieces, they have the stuffing knocked out of them, and they’re picked on for days after Thanksgiving.

What did the turkey say to the turkey hunter on Thanksgiving Eve?
“Quack! Quack!”

Why did the musicians let the turkey join the band?
Because she had the drumsticks.

Why did the turkey cross the road?
It was the chicken’s day off.

Why did the police arrest the turkey?
They suspected it of fowl play.

Why should you keep your eye off the turkey dressing?
Because it makes it blush.

What’s the best dance to do on Thanksgiving?
The turkey trot.

What three keys have legs but can’t open doors?
A turkey, a monkey, and a donkey.

What is the best thing to put into a turkey?
Your teeth.

What do you get when you cross a turkey with an octopus?
Enough drumsticks for a large Thanksgiving dinner.

Why is a Thanksgiving turkey a fashionable bird?
Because it always appears well dressed for dinner.

How do you make a turkey float?
You need two scoops of ice cream, some root beer, and a turkey.

What sort of glass would you serve cream of turkey soup in?
A goblet.

What disasters could happen if you dropped the Thanksgiving turkey?
The downfall of Turkey, the breakup of China, and the overthrow of Greece.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Dear Editrix,

Please compare the following words:

• Brawl
• Brouhaha
• Fracas
• Kerfuffle

Sincerely,

Ms. Shenanigan

Dear Ms. Shenanigan,

It looks like you are getting up to some mischief! I am more than happy to provide everyone with definitions from Merriam-Websterand brief “histories” from the Online Etymology Dictionary!

brawl

(verb) to quarrel or fight noisily: wrangle

late 14c., braulen "to cry out, scold, quarrel," probably related to Dutch brallen "to boast," or from French brailler "to shout noisily."

After the town’s two local teams competed for the croquet championship and the Elster Elderflowers lost, every pub had people from both sides brawling until the wee hours.

brouhaha

(noun) hubbub, uproar

"hubbub, uproar, confused and angry scene," 1890, from French brouhaha (15c.), said by Gamillscheg to have been, in medieval theater, "the cry of the devil disguised as clergy." If it has an etymology, it is perhaps from Hebrew barukh habba’ "blessed be the one who comes," used on public occasions.

Lanie heard a scream from the street and looked out of the window to see what caused the brouhaha; it was a Golden Retriever running away with a woman’s handbag and a man’s pocket watch.

fracas

(noun) a noisy quarrel; brawl

1727, from French fracas "crash, sudden noise; tumult, bustle, fuss" (15c.), from Italian fracasso "uproar, crash," back-formation from fracassare "to smash, crash, break in pieces."

While walking down at Waterfront Park, Suzie heard two people yelling at each other, involved in such a fracas she thought she might need to run for cover. It ended up being a couple arguing about where to go to dinner.

kerfuffle

(noun) a disturbance or commotion typically caused by a dispute or conflict

"row, disturbance," 1970; from 1946 as kafuffle, said to have been used c. 1930 in Canadian English, ultimately from Scottish curfuffle.

The question of “Who made the best ambrosia?” caused more than a kerfuffle at the neighborhood block party; Jennifer threw a punch at Don when he won the contest, and all hell broke loose.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Last week, I brought some current slang to Editor’s Corner, so those of us without kids (or without younger kids) could “be in the know.” Well, there was one item I intentionally left out, because I didn’t really understand it: 6–7

I think I read three articles about the term 6–7 and was still left scratching my head about it. But then Dictionary.com called it “the word of the year,” and many of you said, “What about 6 -7?” The final straw was watching them bring it up on Saturday Night Live. Okay, it’s time to see what the fuss is all about.

First, a brief definition of when or why to use it: “It is often used as a spontaneous interjection, a generic response to any question, or simply as an inside joke.” Hmm. Here are more details from an article I found. I’ve cut a few pieces here and there; for the full article, see WHYY.

If you are around children or are on social media, by now, you’ve probably heard the phrase “6-7” uttered.

The youthful phenomenon, in which kids say “6-7” and move their open-palmed hands up and down for no apparent reason, was recently named word of the year by Dictionary.com. Its origins trace to a song by a Philly rapper with gun-referencing lyrics, but the pop culture use of “6-7” is more playful — even becoming the focus of a recent episode of “South Park,” and companies such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Domino’s have offered promotions inspired by the two numbers.

As the saying has gone global, many people still don’t understand it — or that it’s most likely Philadelphia-based.

What does ‘6-7’ mean?

The phrase comes from a song by Philadelphia rapper Skrilla, titled “Doot Doot (6 7),” released last year. Specifically, the lyrics, often repeated in viral videos, go:

“Shooter stay strapped, I don’t need mine,
Bro put belt right to they behind,
The way that switch, I know he dyin’ … 6-7.”

Multiple lyric interpretations exist, according to the user-aggregated music site Genius. After the reference to a “switch,” or gun, some say “6-7” refers to the police code 10-67, widely regarded as meaning a dead body — but a spokesperson for Philadelphia police confirmed…that city officers don’t use that code.

It could be a reference to 67th Street or 67th Avenue in Philadelphia, or a street in Chicago, where Skrilla has family. The artist himself says the meaning is fluid — in a recent interview, he said, “That’s just what my brain thought of when I was making the song … It means a block … but that’s not what it means to everybody else now. So it’s just like, turn something negative to something positive.”

As widespread and broad as the saying has become, CNN notes, “6-7 means nothing, but using it can make a student feel like a member of a bigger, cooler group of their peers.”

Why did the song (and meme) grow so popular?

The song — and its accompanying up-and-down hand motions — became popular through videos on TikTok and other social media, especially related to basketball….

There is more on that site about Skrilla and the term. There’s also another website that shows various associated hand motions, supplies more explanations, and provides more on this term than you ever wanted or needed: Mashable.

Suddenly, I understand why parents out there couldn’t believe this didn’t make the first cut of my article; I also applaud you for trying to tamp down your kids’ use of it every five minutes.

I guess every generation has its favorite terms. Enjoy your day!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Slang. When it’s from your generation, you probably know what different terms mean and maybe use them yourself. But what about when your kids or grandkids use their generation’s slang? Well, I’ve just been looking into some slang from more recent generations, and honestly, I’m a little bit clueless. Merriam-Webster has a list of slang that’s too long and inappropriate for work, but I collected a few of the words that I thought were interesting.

I also included some additional information and examples if I thought it would help. I do read English, but some of the words just didn’t make sense to me. For example:

41

interjection

a nonsense expression used by teens

What does 41 mean?

41 is a nonsensical expression, adopted late in 2025 by younger teenagers, perhaps to serve as a way of signifying a form of shared knowledge or interest.

No judgement, I just don’t get it. For more slang from the past few years, here are some other words from M-W:

chopped

adjective

unattractive or undesirable

“That guy’s chopped,” she said. “Basically, just unattractive, ugly, not good looking.”

cheugy

adjective | CHOO-ghee

Makes fun of being uncool

What does cheugy mean?

Cheugy is a slang way of calling someone or something uncool or unfashionable, especially when seen as slightly cringeworthy or trying too hard. It’s mainly used as a jokey put-down of trends stereotypically associated with millennials.

Examples and use of cheugy tend to center on the lifestyle associated with millennials, particularly women and what clothing they wear, what things they buy, and how they act and present their lives online. Use of the word remains both self-aware and self-deprecating, with cheugy not being a wholly bad quality and one that people like to claim for themselves.

ate (and left no crumbs)

phrase

performed or did perfectly or impressively

What does ate (and left no crumbs) mean?

If it is said that someone ate or ate and left no crumbs, they have performed or done something perfectly or impressively, whether that be singing, dancing, or dressing fashionably and looking good, etc. In other words, they’ve done something flawlessly, as well as it could possibly be done.

bed rotting

noun

the act or practice of staying in bed all day

What does bed rotting mean?

Bed rotting refers to the act or practice of staying in bed all day (or for a prolonged amount of time), especially when feeling stressed, overwhelmed, etc., but also for the occasional pleasure of doing so.

elevens

plural noun

vertical wrinkles between one’s eyebrows

What does elevens mean?

Elevens refers to a pair of wrinkles that sometimes form on one’s glabella—that is, on the otherwise smooth space between the eyebrows—when one frowns, furrows their brow, etc., and is sometimes viewed as a sign of aging.

[KC – That looks more like 111111 than 11.]

glaze

noun & verb

to praise excessively

What does glaze mean?

To glaze someone or something is to shower them with excessive praise. Additionally, both glaze and glazing are used as nouns to refer to an act of glazing (giving someone excessive praise).

“I’ll stop glazing when he stops deserving it, which he won’t, because he’s the best.”

vibe coding

noun

Writing computer code in a somewhat careless fashion, with AI assistance

What does vibe coding mean?

Vibe coding (also written as vibecoding) is a recently-coined term for the practice of writing code, making web pages, or creating apps, by just telling an AI program what you want, and letting it create the product for you. In vibe coding the coder does not need to understand how or why the code works, and often will have to accept that a certain number of bugs and glitches will be present. The verb form of the word is vibe code.

I think I just felt a general cringe from you programmers out there.

The list contains a lot of terms from late night shows, online articles, books, and more—many of them resulting from the internet. If you’re curious, check it out!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Today I have 17 Scary Sayings for ‘Ghost’ From Across the United States, Part II for you. Enjoy!

Duppy

In Alabama and Louisiana, you might say “duppy” when referring to a ghost. According to the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE), the word comes from Bube, a Bantu language of West Africa. The OED’s earliest citation in English is from British historian Edward Long’s 1774 book The History of Jamaica (“Those of deceased friends are duppies”), while DARE’s is from a 1919 issue of the Journal of American Folklore: “ … the ghost-story, the tale based on a belief about ‘hants’ or ‘bugies’ or ‘duppies.’”

Hide-Behind

This term—which has variants like high-behind and nigh-behind—refers to a ghost or imaginary creature that always hides behind some object. Henry Tryon’s 1939 book Fearsome Critters describes the hide-behind as a 6-foot-tall “highly dangerous animal” with “grizzly-like claws.” Conveniently enough, it’s “never known to attack an inebriate.” According to Vance Randolph’s 1951 We Always Lie to Strangers: Tall Tales from the Ozarks, the monster is “a lizard as big as a bull” that “lies in wait for human beings on the trails at night.”

Catawampus

A word for an imaginary monster or hobgoblin in the South and South Midland states, catawampus also means “fierce, unsparing, destructive,” according to the OED, and originated as a humorous formation, the first part of which might have been influenced by catamount, a puma or cougar.

Swogon

This Maine term for a spirit might come from Swamp Swogon as quoted in Holman Day’s Up in Maine: “For even in these days P.I.’s shake / At the great Swamp Swogon of Brassua Lake./ When it blitters and glabbers the long night through,/ And shrieks for the souls of the shivering crew.” Another Maine word, swogun (also spelled swagin, swagan, and other variations) refers to bean soup.

Akua

In Hawaii, an akua is a god, spirit, or supernatural being. The OED has atua, which it says is a Polynesian word with the same meaning.

Stepney

This expression is used among Gullah speakers on the Georgia and South Carolina coasts. It could mean hunger or hard times, and may also be personified as a malevolent spirit. Where the word comes from isn’t clear.

Plat-eye

Careful of plat-eyes if you’re roaming around in South Carolina at night. These hobgoblins or malevolent spirits are said to rise out of graves. The phrase platt-eye prowl refers to the time of night they’re said to roam.

Go-Devil

Another South Carolina expression, a go-devil is an evil spirit or someone made up to look like one. The term also refers to various machines and devices in agriculture, forestry, the oil industry, and logging.

Hag (or Hag Spirit)

While commonly known as a witch, in the Southeast the term hag or hag spirit might also refer to the evil spirit of a dead person. Said spirit is supposed to cause nightmares by “riding” the luckless dreamer. Hag-ridden, according to the OED, means afflicted by nightmares or oppressed in the mind.

Rawhead and Bloodybones

In addition to being an excellent name for a death metal band, rawhead and bloodybones is a South and South Midland expression for a specter or hobgoblin. It’s an old term: DARE’s earliest citation in American English is from 1637, while in British English it’s 1566, according to the OED, whose definitions for both words border on terrifying: rawhead refers to something that is “typically imagined as having a head in the form of a skull, or one whose flesh has been stripped of its skin,” while bloodybones is sometimes described as a bogeyman “said to lurk in ponds waiting to drown children.”

On that note, I hope you have a happy Halloween, free from duppies, hide-behinds, rawheads, and hags—be nice and don’t frighten the kids!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

As some of us prepare for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), I wanted to find something new and exciting to share with you. I saw an article about why we say “Boo” to scare people, but it was a little on the gentle side. I wanted something scarier or at least something potentially scary—something to bring about the feeling of cold, creepy goosebumps moving up your back.

Last year, I went through watching a month of “scary” movies. I can’t say they were very frightening; they were just kind of disgusting. The year before that, my husband and I watched a month of the classics: Carrie, the Exorcist, etc. There are some new movies out there, but they didn’t inspire me. Then I found this: 17 Scary Sayings for ‘Ghost’ From Across the United States. I thought that sounded very promising.

I’m going to divide it into two sections, so you can enjoy it to the fullest. From Mental Floss:

On Halloween, the spirits of the dead are supposed to walk the earth with the living. Whether or not you believe that, or in ghosts in general, you might want to know what you’re getting into if you hear a South Carolina native mention a plat-eye or a Maine resident warn you about swogons. Familiarize yourself with these spooky regional slang terms for the spectral from the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE).

Skookum

Referring to a ghost, demon, or spirit, skookum is chiefly a Northwest term and comes from a language of the Chinook Native American peoples of the Pacific Northwest. In the Northwest and Alaska, skookum as an adjective means strong, powerful, or good, while a skookum house is a jail and a skookum chuck is a turbulent channel of water.

Skookum Doll

Tommyknocker

More than just a Stephen King novel, tommyknocker has been used in the West since at least the early 20th century to mean a ghost that lives in a mine. It also refers to the knocking noises that said ghost is supposed to make. This ghost sense comes from the English dialect word tommyknocker, meaning a “hammer used to break ore.”

Perfect mines for tommyknockers

Haunt

In the South and South Midland states, a haunt or hant is a ghost or spirit. The earliest definitions of haunt weren’t ghostly at all: According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the word originated in the 13th century to mean “to practice habitually” or “to frequent a place.” Around 1576, it gained the figurative meaning of memories, cares, feelings, thoughts, etc. that distract one frequently. In 1597, the term wandered into the supernatural. From Richard III: “Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed.” Almost 300 years later, it finally came to refer to a spirit or ghost.

Hot Hant and Hot Steam

You might run into a hot hant or a hot steam in the Lower Mississippi Valley and southern Alabama. In Ben Burman’s 1938 book, Blow for a Landing, hot hants are hot because “they’ve gone to hell.” In To Kill a Mockingbird, a hot steam is described as “somebody who can’t get to heaven, just wallows around on lonesome roads an’ if you walk through him, when you die you’ll be one too.”

Bugaboo

This ghostly South and South Midland expression might also refer to an imaginary monster or the devil. In use since at least 1710, the OED says the word might come from the now obscure meaning of bug, an imaginary evil spirit (the insect meaning came later), and might also be influenced by boo. It can also be seen as boogerboo and bugabo.

Booger

Careful if someone from the South or South Midland states tells you that you have a booger—they could mean something more frightening than a piece of snot. The word originated in the 1750s to mean a despicable man, according to the OED, and came to mean a menacing supernatural creature in the 1820s (and dried nasal mucus in 1891).

Those are the terms for Part 1! Next time, I’ll give you the rest of the list so you can walk into haunted houses across the nation, fully prepared!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

As more giant spiders and skeletons start filling local yards, Halloween is speeding toward us! I thought that now might be a good time to cover a couple of bony idioms we use. In fact, just the other day I was talking to my parents and asked them if they had “a bone to pick” with me. Then we all stopped talking and asked each other, “Where does that phrase come from?” Yep, that’s how conversations go in my family.

So I’m here with a little research about the phrase “a bone to pick,” and another idiom “(having a) skeleton in (one’s) closet.”

A Bone to Pick

When you have a bone to pick with someone, it means there’s something you need to discuss, and it might be unpleasant or involve an argument. For example, if your child consistently leaves a mess in the kitchen after you ask them to clean up after themself, you might start that conversation with “I have a bone to pick with you.”

As far as where the phrase comes from, I found this on The Idioms:

“A bone to pick” is an old idiom that dates back hundreds of years into the past. This proverb has been in use since the 1500s. It was derived from dogs and how they chewed meat off bones. The meaning is also taken from canines and how they oftentimes fight over who gets to gnaw on a bone as a snack. During the late Middle Ages, dogs were primarily owned by hunters, soldiers, and people who could afford to keep them around. They were probably the first people to coin this phrase. This saying has also evolved over time to its modern use.

Skeletons in the Closet

When referring to having a “skeleton in the closet,” most people are referring to a secret—a personal issue or something they’ve done that is really embarrassing or damaging—and it’s in the closet because they’re hiding it. If you know someone with an actual skeleton in their closet, that’s a different situation, and I’d contact the police about that. Here’s an example of the idiom in use: “Betsy’s brother Brandon knew that Betsy had skeletons in her closet from a former marriage. And he knew if her current husband Travis found out, he would never forgive her.” To find out where the phrase comes from, here is part of an article: “Skeletons in the Closet”: Where the Creepy Phrase Comes From

The expression “skeletons in the closet” can be traced back to the 19th century. While the exact origin is somewhat murky, it appears to have first emerged in British literature. One of the earliest recorded uses was in 1816, when British author Thomas De Quincey wrote about “the skeleton in the cupboard” in his essay “On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts.” In this context, De Quincey was discussing the hidden sins and darker aspects of human nature, suggesting that everyone has secrets they would prefer to keep hidden.

The imagery of a skeleton is particularly powerful; it evokes the idea of something frightening and taboo. The closet, on the other hand, is a place where we store things away from plain sight—making it a fitting metaphor for secrets we don’t want to reveal. Combined, these elements create a vivid picture of the hidden aspects of our lives that we often conceal from friends, family, and society.

The Evolution of the Idiom

The phrase caught on in popular culture during the Victorian era, a time when societal norms placed a heavy emphasis on propriety and reputation. Victorians often believed that maintaining a polished exterior was essential, which meant that any blemish on one’s character was to be hidden away—much like a skeleton tucked away in a closet. The idiom became a way to describe the dissonance between one’s public persona and private reality.

Interestingly, the phrase has undergone several transformations over the years. While it originally carried a somewhat morbid connotation, it has evolved into a more generalized expression of keeping secrets. Today, it can refer to anything from a past relationship to a family scandal or even minor embarrassments. The versatility of the phrase has allowed it to remain relevant over the centuries, making it a staple in conversations, literature, and media.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

In previous Editor’s Corners, I’ve written here and there about military jargon that’s made its way into our everyday language. I thought it would be fun to look for more, though there’s quite a bit of colorful language I have to avoid. Today I’m just going to give you a selection from a page I found. I tried to leave out most of the really naughty or grim ones, but you can see them at the link here: Military Terms, Slang, and Jargon

A

Alpha Charlie — Military alphabet used to represent a** chewing. Defines getting verbally reprimanded.

B

Bang-bang — An Army term describing a pistol or rifle.

Big Voice — Term used to describe the loudspeaker on a military base. The Big Voice warns of everything from incoming attacks to scheduled ordnance disposal.

Bird — Helicopter.

Burn Bag — A bag used to hold shredded documents, designed to be burned. May also refer to a useless person.

C

Chest Candy — Ribbons and medals worn on a uniform. Can be insulting or applauding.

Crumb Catcher — Military slang describing the mouth.

F

Fart Sack — Refers to a sleeping bag or an airman’s flight suit. [KC – Sorry, I had to include this. When we were kids, my dad always used this term for our sleeping bags and we thought it was hilarious. “OK kids, we’re going camping so everyone needs to bring their fart sack!”]

Fashion Show — A Naval punishment where a sailor is required to dress in each of his uniforms over a period of several hours.

Flight Suit Insert — Air Force slang for a pilot.

Five-Sided Puzzle Palace — The Pentagon.

Football Bat — An individual or way of doing things that is particularly odd.

Fruit Salad — Slang for a service member’s display of medals and ribbons on a dress uniform.

G

Grid Squares — A nonexistent item recruits typically are told to go find.

Gun — Term for a mortar or artillery piece. Must never be used within the military to describe a pistol or rifle.

H

Hat Up — To change one’s location. Refers to the need to wear a hat for the intended destination.

Hit the Silk — Ejecting from an aircraft and utilizing a parachute.

I

Ink Stick — Marine Corps term for a pen.

J

Jawa — Term for an Army soldier who is stationed in a desert area, named after the desert-dwelling aliens of "Star Wars."

Joe — Army term for a soldier. Shortened from G.I. Joe.

M

Meat Identifier — A dish or sauce that identifies what type of meat is being served. For example, cranberry sauce indicates turkey while applesauce indicates pork chops.

Moonbeam — Marine term for flashlight.

Moving Like Pond Water — Moving so slowly that a unique term is required to describe it.

O

Oxygen Thief — A biting piece of slang for someone who’s useless or talks too much.

P

Pad Eye Remover — A nonexistent item used by sailors to trick new service members into a fruitless search. Pad-eyes are used to secure airplanes with chains.

Puddle Pirate — Member of the Coast Guard. So called due to a fallacious belief that the Coast Guard never operates in deep water.

S

Salad Bar — Service ribbons found on a military uniform.

Scrambled Eggs — The embellishments found on some officer’s caps.

Snake Eater — Member of the U.S. Army Special Forces.

Snivel Gear — Any equipment meant for use in cold weather.

Soap chips — A psychological operations (PSYOPS) tactic where fake letters from an enemy’s home country are written and placed on bodies and battle wreckage. They include sentimental content, hint at the infidelity of loved ones back home and are designed to demoralize combatants.

Soup Sandwich — An individual, object, situation or mission that has gone horribly wrong. The thrust of the term’s meaning derives from the fact that it is incredibly difficult, some would say impossible, to make a sandwich out of soup.

U

Uncle Sam’s Canoe Club — A U.S. Navy term for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

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