draw-down
n.— «The mission’s boss further stated that the draw-down of the troops would be done in three phases beginning December 2008 to December 2010. He said that the draw-down in its troop doesn’t mean that they are in a hurry to leave, but Liberians should understand that UNMIL will not stay in Liberia forever.» —“Unmil to Draw Down Troops 2008″ by Melissa Chea-Annan The Inquirer (Monrovia, Liberia) Aug. 16, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In 1916, a small-town newspaper in Pennsylvania printed a fanciful item about a local gathering with a guest list that included, among others, Miss Ella Vader, Mr. Ray Zor, and other punny names. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Haddie from Houston, Texas, is curious about the phrase as long as Pat stayed in the Army, which applies to something short-lived. The phrase appears in Kentucky newspapers as early as 1898. No one’s sure who Pat was, although perhaps it’s the name...