dead rubber
n.— «In Davis Cup parlance, it’s called a “dead rubber,” which has nothing to do with the soles of the players’ sneakers. Andy Roddick having spanked Razvan Sabau in straight sets, giving the Americans an insurmountable 3-1 lead yesterday, there was still one meaningless match to play on a sun-splashed afternoon at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.» —“Last match meaning is in eyes of beholders” by Don Norcross San Diego Union-Tribune (California) Feb. 13, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Welcome to another A Way with Words newsletter! With any luck, our A Way with Words email messages don’t end up in your spam folder. But did you ever wonder why junk mail is called spam in the first place? There’s a funny story behind this term, and...
When Martha agreed to serve as pronouncer for the San Diego County Scripps Regional Spelling Bee, she assumed her task would be easy. Instead, it was one of the most humbling experiences of her life. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...