100-mile-an-hour tape
n.— «HIPKE: Yeah, we had 100-mile-an-hour tape and a little foam. And it’s just really—it’s rock solid on there. FLOCK: What’s 100-mile-an-hour tape? HIPKE: It’s supposed to last up to 100 miles an hour I guess before it starts peeling off the plane.» —“Getting a Jump on Wildfire Season” by Live Today: Lou Waters, Natalie Allen, Jeff Flock CNN May 3, 2001. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The words tough, through, and dough all end in O-U-G-H. So why don’t they rhyme? A lively new book addresses the many quirks of English by explaining the history of words and phrases. And: have you ever been in a situation where a group makes...
When there’s no evening meal planned at home, what do you call that scramble to cobble together your own dinner? Some people apply acronyms like YOYO — “you’re on your own” — or CORN, for “Clean Out your Refrigerator...