barrel edition
n.— «Barrel edition or scouts—Papers rescued from some receptacle, such as subway waste paper basket, and resold.» —“Slang of newspaper and mail delivery (rewrite Canny)” by Individuals; Wayne Walden in New York City Lexicon of Trade Jargon Dec. 6, 1937. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
How do dictionaries define colors? And why are some of those definitions so confusing, like “stronger than carmine” and “bluer than fiesta”? Dictionary editor Kory Stamper explains it all in her new book. Plus, the story behind the expression more...
Stacey from Chelsea, Massachusetts, says her grandfather, a Russian immigrant who grew up on New York City’s Lower East Side, used to warn his grandkids with what sounded like Don’t be a come-upper after he’d cleaned the apartment. The...