Q. I recently told a fellow Steinway Society board member that no apostrophe is needed in "winners recital" (a concert featuring several pianists), any more than one is needed in "teachers union." What we have here is a noun modifying another noun. What's that called? — Fritz Marston, Ewing, N.J.
A. A noun mound? Actually, the term for a noun that describes another noun is "attributive noun" because the meaning of one noun is being attributed to another.
We use singular attributive nouns all the time without even thinking about it, e.g., "man cave," "coffee pot," "steel bridge." But when plurals are involved, choosing between an attributive noun ("winners recital") and a possessive noun ("winners' recital") can be tricky.
In general, no possessive is needed if the noun is being used primarily to describe the other noun. The Associated Press Stylebook offers this handy guide: If "by" or "for," rather than "of," would be appropriate in a longer version of the phrase, e.g., "a recital by the winners," then omit the apostrophe.
"Teachers union" is actually a tougher call. While it is indeed a union "of" teachers, the teachers don't really own the union; rather, it's a union "for" them, so no possessive is needed.
The challenge of picking the right form is exemplified by variations in the titles of organizations. Some use attributive nouns ("National Governors Association," "Diners Club"), while others use possessive nouns ("Actors' Equity," "The Ladies' Home Journal").
Q. Do you have any idea of how "fuzz" came to be slang for the police? — Tom Hazuka, New Britain
A. This term first appeared in criminal slang during the 1920s, but its origins are, appropriately enough, fuzzy.
As etymology expert Evan Morris notes on his website word-detective.com, several theories about the origins of "fuzz" have surfaced, all of them unpersuasive: It derives from "fussy" because police are hard to please. It's a slurring of the warning "Feds" (Federal narcotics agents). It refers to the beards policemen wore in the 1800s. Really? Morris suggests that "fuzz" may derive from the use of "fuzzy" in criminal slang to mean "unmanly, incompetent, soft," which would definitely be seen as an insult to a cop. But there's no proof of this origin. For now, the true origin of "fuzz" hides in the roadside bushes like an unseen squad car, and no etymologist can truly lay claim to being a "fuzz" buster.