dead arm
n.— «Smith started Sunday against his former club, the Athletics, but left after 1 2/3 innings (three hits, five runs, three earned runs, two walks) and said after the contest he has been suffering from shoulder inflammation, commonly known as “dead arm.” He felt it after his last start, Tuesday against the Cubs, and couldn’t get it healed in time for Sunday.» —“Lefty Smith leaves due to ‘dead arm’” by Thomas Harding MLB.com Mar. 29, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Ribbon fall. Gallery forest. You won’t find terms like these in most dictionaries, but they and hundreds like them are discussed by famous writers in the book Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape. The book is an intriguing collection...
When you had sleepovers as a child, what did you call the makeshift beds you made on the floor? In some places, you call those bedclothes and blankets a pallet. This word comes from an old term for “straw.” And: What’s the story...