2 points (learning something new)
CAHOOTS. What a great word. Who can dislike it, when the largest part is “hoot.” Laughter, a riot, a lot of ha ha’s. But no, it doesn’t have anything to do with gaity. The dictionary definition is “questionable collaboration; secret partnership.” Most people use the expression “in cahoots” to imply something underhanded but I think that’s a crime for such a fun word. I wanted to know its origin and found that “cahoots” might have come from two possible roots, both French. One from “cohorte,” meaning company and the other “cahute,” meaning cabin (and “in cahoots” implying being as close as two people sharing a cabin.) But there’s a bonus to this search. I discovered a great online magazine: Cahootsmagazine.com, an alternative Canadian online magazine for women, which in their words is: “a place for diverse, original, strong, humorous, fearless writing about things – such as work, health, home, life, the world – that really matter to women.” What a great little discovery. Strange…do you think maybe serendipity and the abc life are in cahoots?
The ABC Life Blog 
You gave me the impetus I needed to research a word or phrase. The one I looked at is “he’s got a CHIP on his shoulder”. This phrase, which usually means someone has a grievance or attitude) originated in the 19th century U.S. practice of spoiling for a fight by carrying a chip of wood on one’s shoulder, daring others to knock it off. It’s my contention that the 20th century will see Californians carrying little replicas of Bernie Madoff on their shoulder, Republicans with little Obamas, and book clubs with little Kindles. Guess which one I will have!