breakage
n.— «Most consumers will not miss the advantages that rebates promised. That is because only the most diligent and fastidious consumers took advantage of rebates. Retailers and manufacturers intentionally made the process of rebate redemption difficult. They even have a term for it: breakage.» —“Rebates on the Way to Expiring” by Damon Darlin New York Times Nov. 11, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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...
A young caller from the Hudson Valley of New York wonders about his grandmother’s use of stemwinder to praise a speech she thought was excellent. In the early 1800s, people used pocket watches that had to be wound with a tiny key. Once someone...