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)
Further reading
Our discussion of Anglo-Saxon kennings inspired listener Paul Holler of Arlington Heights, Illinois, to write a lovely poem exploring the idea of the kenning sea-guest, meaning “sailor,” and what it means to be a guest of the sea and what that says...
A firefighter named Steve in Newport News, Virginia, wonders why in his line of work, and for some police, certain additional kinds of days off after long unbroken shifts are called Kelly days, Kelly shifts, or Kelly time. The term most likely comes...
“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.