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
A listener who grew up in Newfoundland remembers her grandfather declaring the fog was thick as burgoo. Turns out burgoo was sailors’ slang for a gray, gelatinous oatmeal—exactly the right image for an impenetrable Newfoundland fog. The word appears...
Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say...