bird screamer
v.— «California fishermen went to a meeting last December to find out which alternatives to shooting they are allowed to use. Approved methods include: slingshots, paint ball guns, and rubber bullets. They can also engage in “hazing” or circling the sea lion with the boat, pounding on the hull to scare them away, pyrotechnics (bird screamers, bangers, underwater firecrackers—also known as “seal bombs”), starter pistols, and horns, bells and whistles.» —“Frustrated fishermen shoot sea lions” by Meghan Gilliss Point Reyes Light (California) Oct. 23, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Enthusiastic book recommendations! Martha’s savoring the biography of Alexander von Humboldt, the 19th-century explorer, polymath, and naturalist who revolutionized our understanding of nature and predicted the effects of human activity on...
The words tough, through, and dough all end in O-U-G-H. So why don’t they rhyme? A lively new book addresses the many quirks of English by explaining the history of words and phrases. And: have you ever been in a situation where a group makes...