blacking out
n.— «We haven’t been attacking the fire from the front, but controlling it from the flanks to stop it spreading.…The process was called “blacking out” which involved mopping up where the fire had burned already, dousing left-over flames and putting out smouldering embers.» —“Ruapehu firefighters feel the heat” by Andrew Koubaridis Wanganui Chronicle (New Zealand) Jan. 25, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Many of us struggled with the Old English poem “Beowulf” in high school. But what if you could actually hear “Beowulf” in the English of today? There’s a new translation by Maria Dahvana Headley that uses contemporary...
Is there something inherent in English that makes it the linguistic equivalent of the Borg, dominating and consuming other languages in its path? No, not at all. The answer lies with politics and conquest rather than language itself. Plus: a new...