elastic-banding
n.— «My opponent, Knuckles, had a tendency to slow down when I was too far behind (it’s what’s called “elastic-banding’ in the industry), so while I did manage to win the race—over a massive track that took around three minutes to complete—I really shouldn’t have.» —“Try to keep up—we’re hands on with PSP’s Sonic Rivals” by Jon Jordan PocketGamer.co.uk (United Kingdom) Aug. 8, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Kathy from Wichita, Kansas, says her mother was a practical joker who’d laugh off her pranks by saying That’s just the kind of hairpin I am, which means “That’s just the way I am.” The phrase goes back at least to 1874...
Carol in Williamsburg, Virginia, wonders why if you bake something and don’t rely on pre-mixed ingredients, you’re said to bake it from scratch. This expression originally referred to a line scratched into the ground to mark the starting...