bear pit
n.— «In an Australian first, politicians will be able to breastfeed their babies in NSW Parliament, under landmark rules. The controversial move is sure to ruffle the feathers of some male MPs who dominate Parliament’s lower house chamber, affectionately known as the “bear pit.”» —“MPs free to breastfeed babies” by Kate Sikora News.com.au (Australia) Oct. 18, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...
Why is an exciting event called a barnburner? A real barn on fire can be a spectacular sight, with so many combustible materials inside. Metaphorically, then, a barnburner is a “humdinger” or a “doozy.” There’s also a...