Crack the Window Just a Hair

Back when I lived in Yellowstone National Park, a couple of young Germans I worked with came up and told me in all earnestness that of all the people they knew in Yellowstone, they understood my English the least. Of course, I can imagine why. I'd say things like, "Crack the window just a hair." If English is not your first language, that's a pretty hard phrase to unpack. "Crack" essentially means "to break," and "a hair" is something growing out of your head. These days I accommodate my speech when talking to folks whose first language is not English, but back then my language must have seemed pretty bizarre to some of the European folks working in the park.

Here's a song that contains the words "crack the window just a hair." It was playing on my stereo the first time I ever rolled into Archer City.