burnt toast
n.— «Smoke in the cockpit is so common that pilots even have a name for it: “burnt toast.” Usually a pilot can find the source of the smoke and get rid of it—much like unplugging the toaster at home—but if not, smoke can have tragic consequences.…“Burnt toast is not that thick of a smoke, but any time you’ve got a burnt toast source that gets enough fuel, it can become a dense and continuous smoke.”» —“Smoke in cockpit is fairly common, pilots say” by Melissa Griggs, M.C. Moewe News-Journal (Daytona Beach, Florida) July 24, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The expression you look like death eating on a Nab means “you look terrible.” It’s a humorous elaboration of the idea of death, which refers to death consuming a dry, salty, peanut-butter-filled snack made by the Nabisco company...
Book recommendations and the art of apology. Martha and Grant share some good reads, including an opinionated romp through English grammar, a Spanish-language adventure novel, an account of 19th-century dictionary wars, and a gorgeously illustrated...