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
Susan from Virginia Beach, Virginia, shares the phrase her mother used when the kids refused to eat: It’ll grow hair on your back teeth. This supposed motivator likely blends two older traditions: a German idiom, Haare auf den Zähnen haben...
Why do speakers of the same language have different accents? A lively new book called Why We Talk Funny offers a linguist’s look at how and why accents develop. And: If you’ve “stood up” at a wedding, were you supporting the marriage or objecting to...