break the ton
v. phr.— «When I was a kid we all drove muscle cars with enormous hemis. The term “breakin’ the ton” was popular slang. You broke the ton when 100 mph was significantly exceeded and sustained.» —“High Speed Slang” by Gregg Mercedes Benz SLK World Forum Feb. 2, 2010. (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...
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...