Ocarina

An ocarina is an ancient flute-like wind instrument shaped like a gourd.Its name comes from the Italian for "little goose." In America it is sometimes known as "sweet potato" or "potato flute."

Budget etymology

The modern word budget comes from its original meaning, a purse or satchel.  The economic meaning derives from the idea that financiers keep their papers inside a satchel.

Bryology

Brylogy is the study of mosses and liverworts.  From the Greek byron, a moss or liverwort.  Johann Hedwig is the father of bryology.

bulge bracket

"Bulge bracket" is a term that describes the company or companies in an underwriting syndicate that issued the largest number of securities on a new issue. The bulge bracket is usually the first group listed on the tombstone—a print advertisement of a new issue.

lavvu

A lavvu, also called a kavvas, is a temporary dwelling used by the Sami people of northern extremes of Northern Europe. It has a design similar to a Native American tipi but is less vertical and more stable in high winds.

Hurkle-durkle

To hurkle-durkle is a Scots phrase dating from the 1800s meaning "to lie in bed or lounge about when one should be up and about."  Update: It took over social media!

Craftsman houses

A Craftsman house is a popular American home style that emerged from the American Craftsman movement of the turn of the 20th century, often including a central fireplace, a wide porch with columns, a low-pitched roof, wood siding, and large bay windows.

Steak Diane

Steak Diane is a dish of pan-fried beefsteak with a sauce made from the seasoned pan juices. It was originally cooked tableside and sometimes flambéed. It was most likely invented in London in the 1930s. The name most likely comes from Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt.

White-shoe law firm

In the United States, "white-shoe firm" is a term used to describe prestigious professional services firms that have been traditionally associated with the upper-class elite who graduated from Ivy League colleges. (The term comes from white buckskin derby shoes (bucks), once the style among the men from the upper-class.)   The Oxford English Dictionary cites the phrase "white-shoe college boys" in the J.D. Salinger novel Franny and Zooey (1957) as the first use of the term: "Phooey, I say, on all white-shoe college boys who edit their campus literary magazines. Give me an honest con man any day."