(skih-DAD-ul)

Means: To run off in a hurry.

Etymology: American slang from the Civil War. It shows up in 1861, used by Union soldiers mocking troops who broke and ran. Where it came from is anyone's guess, and plenty of people have guessed, from Greek to Scottish dialect, but nobody has proved a thing. It just sounded exactly like what it means.

"The second the check hit the table, Mike remembered he had to skedaddle."

Tiki started in Hollywood in 1933, when a young guy named Ernest Gantt opened a tiny bar he called Don the Beachcomber, later changing his own name to Donn Beach. He filled it with bamboo, fishing nets, and strong rum drinks, and after World War II, guys home from the Pacific made tiki bars a national craze. The style is carved wooden gods, thatch, puffer-fish lamps, and above all the ceramic tiki mug, shaped like a carved face. His most famous drink, the Zombie, was so strong the menu said limit two per customer.

The dot over a lowercase i or j is called a tittle. It's from the medieval Latin titulus, a little mark over a letter. You've probably heard it without noticing: in the King James Bible, Jesus says not "one jot or one tittle" of the law will pass away, meaning not even the smallest mark. Next time someone says you have to dot every i, you can tell them you prefer to tittle.

My wife looked at me last night and said, "You love golf more than you love me."

I said, "Sure, but I love you more than tennis."

What do these five words have in common?

SNOW, FOOT, EYE, MEAT, ODD

Answer in tomorrow's issue.