biological supermarket
n.— «According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, wetlands are “among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to rain forests and coral reefs.” The EPA’s website refers to them as “biological supermarkets,” due to the “great volumes of food that attract many animal species.”» —“Would-be builder says APA biologist ’ended our hopes’ for Tupper apartments” by Nathan Brown Adirondack Daily Enterprise (Saranac Lake, New York) Jan. 24, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
Cat hair may be something you brush off, but cat hair is also a slang term that means “money.” In the same way, cat beer isn’t alcoholic — some people use cat beer as a joking term for “milk.” And imagine walking on a...
Biological Supermarket has also been used to refer to a sex partner whose past habits leave open the possibility of infection with an STD