New-to-me Phrases, October 30, 2022
Frog blossom hotel * Tsuru * Tawny Fuckmunch * Burn boss * Neato Burrito * Pierogi Mountain * Ivan the Terra Bus * Nice Sticky Backside

The Phrases, With Context
This week we have colorful frog lodging, terrible transport, birds with resting bitch face, and another poll.
If you’re new here, welcome! If you’ve been around for a while, I’m so glad you’re here!
October poll
It’s that time again! You get to vote for your fave phrase of the month. Due to lack of functionality on the part of Substack, there’s no write-in option. Feel free to post your fave in the comments or email me. Archives are here.
1. Frog blossom hotel
This source of this phrase is elusive; I found it in a retweet by someone I don’t follow and now I can’t find it again to give attribution.
Anyway, play this vid any time you’re stressed out. Unless you’re terrified of frogs or dahlias—or frogs and dahlias—in which case, definitely don’t.
2. Tsuru
My fellow bird nerd friend Kathleen and I play a version of Wordle called Birdle. We both kind of suck at it because this is for true world-traveling birdwatcher types, but it’s fun to learn about new birds.
One of the words this week was tsuru, which is the Japanese word for crane. Here’s some backstory about crane symbolism and folklore in Japanese culture. Tsuru is also a common first name in Japan.
3. Tawny Fuckmunch
Speaking of bird nerds, one of my kids (who does not read this newsletter) gave me these two hilarious books and an owl calendar for my birthday. Written by artist and author Matt Kracht (a terrific phrase! I love names-as-phrases), they are very, very funny and I’m mad I didn’t think of this idea first.
We were reading some of the bird names aloud and “tawny fuckmunch” had us crying with laughter.
Here’s an actual tawny frogmouth, by the way:
They’re native to Australia and their expressions tend to range between “bitch, please” and “I am your worst nightmare.”
Relatable.

4. Burn boss
Isn’t this a great phrase? Don’t you love it, regardless of what it means?
The actual meaning isn’t as funny as this phrase might imply, (e.g., your saltiest friend) but it’s still objectively cool. Imagine having Burn Boss on your resume.
I just went to dig up a Bruce-Campbell-as-Sam-Axe from Burn Notice .GIF as a wink to this phrase, and it looks like the youngs aren’t hip to that show. But I did discover that there’s a Burn Wiki, so there’s that.
5. Neato Burrito
I met with a friend for breakfast this weekend and had almost forgotten what it is to be among people. My social skills have atrophied and I don’t know what to do when talking with someone outside of Zoom or my house. #awkwardvibes
Anyway, on the menu at our local chocolate-and-coffee shop was the Neato Burrito, a modestly sized tasty breakfast item filled with eggs, potatoes, and cheese and served with salsa verde and sour cream on the side.
6. Pierogi Mountain
The name of a Columbus, Ohio restaurant and what sounds like an achievable dream. Potato and onion for me, please.
7. Ivan the Terra Bus
Did you know I have a thing for heavy machinery and oversized vehicles (exceptions: monster trucks and insecure dude pickups)? Now you do.
Ivan the Terra Bus, which makes its home in Antarctica, definitely qualifies as oversized. Plus, it’s a great name. Here’s the ol’ boy in action:
8. Nice sticky backside
I spotted this phrase in 2019; it’s from an Amazon review for shoe inserts. LOL.
That’s it for this week!
In case you missed it, my guest spot on the Writer Mother Monster podcast is live (listen or watch at the link).
So Elon Musk owns Twitter now. Are you sticking around to watch it burn, or have you bailed yet?
Have you voted yet? There’s still time. Vote.org has lots of great info if you’re not registered yet or want to know more about local election deadlines, and Ballotpedia has sample ballots and other useful election info. You can vote in the phrase-of-the-month poll as a warmup!
Remember to stay curious and remain furious!
I really need to catch up on my dumb birds reading, I've only read the US version! I have not been around actual real people much since pre-pandemic and I find myself feeling really awkward and weird. I have not voted yet, but will very soon! My ballot arrived in the mail a couple of days ago - yay Washington State!
I ditched Twitter as soon as it looked like Elon was buying it, so a few months ago! It was a great decision, and I have no regrets. It was a time suck and my mental state improved once I closed the door. I rarely posted, and was really just being a voyeur to everyone else's drama.
I like Ivan.
Pierogi Mountain sounds like my kind of restaurant. My ex is Polish/Ukraine and I am the only one to have made pierogis from scratch. Cheese and onion for me too, please.