drive to qualify
v. phr.— «In real estate parlance, families like the McCauslands “drive to qualify” for a mortgage; the big house they want is affordable only in far-out communities.» —“Long commutes, gas prices crimping American Dream” Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania) Apr. 4, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A Havertown, Pennsylvania, listener wonders why her mother used to answer queries about how she was doing with phrase that sounded like either fair to midland or fair to middling. Middling has long meant “just OK” or “right in the middle,” and the...
Need a slang term that can replace just about any noun? Try chumpie. If you’re from Philadelphia, you may already know this handy placeholder word. And there’s Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, and … The Bronx — why do we add...