Home » Dictionary » ATM machine

ATM machine

ATM machine
 n.— «Targeting immigrants is not unique to Oakland. Last month Richmond police were called to investigate the fatal robbery of an El Salvadoran immigrant. The city’s street thugs sometimes refer to Latino and Asian laborers as “ATM machines.”» —“Wildlife Veterinarians Give Bird Feather Implants” in Davis, California KEYE-TV Feb. 13, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

1 comment
  • “ATM machine” is an incorrect
    expression, regardless of whom the
    speaker is, because of the obvious
    redundancy: the “M” already means
    “machine”. The allowable forms
    are, either just “ATM” or, “AT
    machine”.
    -Word Wizard.

Further reading

Good Vibrations (episode #1556)

Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...

Cabin Fever (episode #1547)

The adjectives canine and feline refer to dogs and cats. But how does English address other groups of animals? Plus, cabin fever has been around much longer than the current pandemic. That restless, antsy, stir-crazy feeling goes back to the days...

Recent posts