Late Show & Late Late Show
The "Late Show" and "Late Late Show" were originally movies shown very late at night on CBS television (Channel 2). The terms date to 1951. David Letterman now hosts 'The…
Latkes or Latkas (potato pancakes)
Latkes (less frequently spelled "latkas") are simply potato pancakes. Latkes are traditionally served for the Jewish holidays of Hanukkah and also Purim, although they can be served at…
Latte Art
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Latte artLatte art is a method of preparing coffee created by pouring steamed milk into a shot of espresso and resulting in a pattern or design on the surface…
Latte Liberal
"Latte liberal" describes a person who drinks a latte and is politically liberal. The derogatory term describes a rich person who holds liberal views that are convenient to him or her…
Launching Pad (New Yankee Stadium nickname)
The new Yankee Stadium (opened in 2009) quickly gained a reputation for being home-run-friendly. The Colorado Rockies' Coors Field has allowed the most home runs in a single season, and the…
Launder (money laundering)
To "launder" money is to make "dirty" money (obtained from illegality) "clean." For example, illegal drug money might be "laundered" through a legal…
Lavender Set
"Lavender" is/was an LGBTQ nickname, and the term "lavender set" was used for the community. "L.I. cops have started a campaign to rid Fire Island of its lavender set"…
Laws of Accounting (joke)
"The Four Laws of Accounting" (credited to Anonymous) were cited in The New Official Rules: Maxims for Muddling Through to the Twenty-First Century (1989) by Paul Dickson: 1. Trial…
Lawyer Losing Money (“LL.M.” backronym)
A lawyer receives a J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree; some lawyers go further for a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree. The LL.M. degree has been criticized as useless and overly expensive, but a money-maker…
Lawyer’s Billable Hours (lawyer joke)
A popular lawyer joke about billable hours dates in print to at least the early 1980s. A lawyer died at a young age and complained to St. Peter in heaven that he was taken from the earth too soon.…
Lawyer’s Brain (lawyer joke)
A popular lawyer joke involves the price of a lawyer's brain relative to brains of other professions. The joke has been cited in print since at least 1994 and is of unknown authorship. The…
Layaway
A "layaway" (or "lay-away") plan is one where a customer desires an item and puts a deposit on it, and the retailer "lays the item away" for the customer until the…
Lazy Susan
A "lazy Susan" is a rotating tray, placed upon a dining table for easy use in a diner's access to food (especially condiments). The name "lazy Susan" is cited from at least…
Leading from Behind
"Leading from behind" can describe someone who is afraid of the action. In Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera, The Gondoliers (1889), it was said of the Duke of Plaza-Toro: "In…
Leaky Roof Circuit (small-time racetracks)
The "leaky roof circuit" (also called the "frying pan circuit") referred to the small-time racetracks in horceracing, but the term was also used in baseball and ice hockey. The…
Lear Jet Liberal (Learjet Liberal)
"Lear jet liberal" (or "Learjet liberal") is a more modern version of the 1969 New York City term, "limousine liberal." A "Learjet liberal" might be a person…
Leave Island Any Time (LIAT backronymic nickname)
LIAT stands for Leeward Islands Air Transport and is a Caribbean airline headquartered in Antigua. The LIAT backronymic (back acronym) nicknames of "Leave Islands Any Time" and…
Lechislator (lecher/lecherous + legislator); Lechislature
"Lechislator" (lecher/lecherous + legislator) and "lechislature" (lecher/lecherous + legislature) are portmanteau words that have been infrequently used. "LECHISLATOR:…
Led Robster or Lead Robster (Red Lobster nickname)
Red Lobster seafood restaurant was founded in Lakeland, Florida, in 1968. The spoonerism of the Red Lobster name -- "Led Robster" or "Lead Robster" -- has been cited in print…
Lee Harvey [lastname] (crime patsy nickname)
Lee Harvey Oswald (1939-1963) was the accused lone assassin of U.S. President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, although Oswald called himself a patsy and said that he never shot anyone.…