air supply
n.— «Although petty corruption is rampant in the civil service, Ruzindana has focused on the big fish—senior officials motivated less by need than greed. His target is the booming and notorious Ugandan enterprise known here as “air supply.” Translation: fraud. “It means you supply nothing, and yet you are paid,” said Ruzindana.» —“Graft, Corruption Hobble Uganda’s Comeback Efforts” by Mary Battiata in Kampala, Uganda San Francisco Chronicle (California) July 27, 1988. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say...
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...