cold iron
v.— «The captain…explained that the supercarrier had no power of her own; she was “cold iron.”» —“Carrier Saratoga Floated for Final Fitting as World’s Most Powerful Ship” by Michael James New York Times Jan. 29, 1956. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Sigrin writes from Albany, New York, that she misheard our earlier conversation about the expression shaving yak hair meaning “performing a monotonous, tedious task.” At first she thought we said shaving gnat hair, which she figures is...
Sean in Oneonta, New York, says that when he was growing up in New Jersey, his family would pile in the car and set off on a surprise adventure, whether a short distance or long, and the kids would be told only that they were going on Buxtehude...