cold-iron watch
v.— «American Export Lines put “a cold-iron watch” on the $53,000,000 Savannah in Galveston, Texas, last week.…It means putting a cadre crew aboard to keep essential maintenance on a dead ship. Electricity, water, steam and other utilities are received from shore.» —“‘Cold-Iron Watch’ on Savannah Maintained by American Export” New York Times July 28, 1963. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Language is always evolving, and that’s also true for American Sign Language. A century ago, the sign for “telephone” was one fist below your mouth and the other at your ear, as if you’re holding an old-fashioned candlestick...
A listener in Unadilla, New York, says her husband, whose family is French-Canadian, uses the phrase That burns my onions when something irritates him. There are several kitchen-related metaphors used to express anger, including that steams my...