cold-patch
n.— «When potholes need a temporary repair, both “hot-mix” asphalt and “cold-patch” are used to repair the surface until the roadway can be re-surfaced. Most street repairs are made with “hot” asphalt, which must be delivered to the job site within a fixed period of time (or continually heated) and applied to the pothole before it hardens. But hot-mix asphalt is often too cumbersome and expensive for small street repairs, so many transportation engineers rely on “cutback” or “cold-patch” asphalt as a temporary solution. Typical cutback asphalts are made by “cutting” hot asphalt with petroleum solvents.» —“Environmental Purchasing Bulletin #65: Low-VOC Cold-Patch” King County Environmental Purchasing Program (King County, Wash.) July 31, 2001. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Cat hair may be something you brush off, but cat hair is also a slang term that means “money.” In the same way, cat beer isn’t alcoholic — some people use cat beer as a joking term for “milk.” And imagine walking on a...
There are eight major planets, but more than a million minor ones, including asteroids. If you discover one, you get the honor of naming it. The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names includes minor planets named for rock bands, jazz musicians, poets, and...