chop sticks
v.— «The practice is called “chopping sticks.”…Once a week policemen head out to a construction site, round up 15 or 20 people for possession of false documents, and—presto!—he has chopped enough sticks to meet his quota.» —“Chopping Sticks Beats Solving Crime” by Carl Schrek Moscow Times (Russia) May 20, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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...
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...