bird dog
n.—Gloss: A person who guides an electrical crew to a repair site. «“There’s a lot of sign language for ‘don’t touch,’” said Andy Janosz, a switchman with PSNH in Manchester and the crew’s local “bird dog.”» —“Utility crews on scene in state speak 1 language” by Trent Spiner Union Leader (Manchester, New Hampshire) Dec. 19, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
League of the Lexicon is a wide-ranging trivia game for language lovers with thousands of questions on all matters linguistic. Creator Joshua Blackburn has also compiled a treasure trove of linguistic delights in a companion volume called The...
Centuries ago, monks who took a vow of silence developed their own hand signs, with hundreds of gestures, that are still in use today. Plus, how do speakers of different languages distinguish similar shades and tints of colors such as red, yellow...