bitch hook
n.— «The sleigh wanted to hurtle down the hill, running over the horses. The solution to this was to get off, and apply what was called a “block chain” around the runner, with a hook known as a “bitch hook,” because it hung on so tightly that it wouldn’t let go. Now the horses could pull the sleigh down, rather than have to brake it all the way.» —“Times Past” by Paul Tapley Fall at Muskoka Resorts (North Muskoka, Ontario, Can.) Nov. 7, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What if, instead of being an inanimate object, a dictionary were alive? That’s the idea behind a lavishly illustrated new children’s book called The Dictionary Story (Bookshop|Amazon) by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston. This is part of a...
Rowan in Ottawa, Ontario, says her Irish mom used a puzzling word to indicate a sort of restless discontent not caused by anything in particular. It may be neamhchinnte, which means “uncertain” or “indecisive.” This is part...