drying rock
n.— «At a stakeholders meeting convened Wednesday by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative at the Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis, many of the experts heard a new phrase for the first time: “drying rocks.” It was Arthur Pugsley, an environmental analyst with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office, who described the features as “rocks that poke above mean low water” that are used in determining boundaries under an international treaty.» —“Is Cape Wind project on the rocks?” by Edward F. Maroney Barnstable Patriot (Hyannis, Mass.) June 4, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Jim in Columbia, South Carolina, has noticed sportscasters’ use of the phrase on the season with reference to a period of time. This construction shows up in the sports pages as early as the 1880s, first referring to a team’s revenue and...
The slang phrase someone ate and left no crumbs means the person did something really well. In a previous call, a listener who works in theater noted the use of ate to mean “did something well,” as in they really ate that haircut! This...