exploding contract
n.— «The Peel Board of Education has the worst record in Ontario for giving young teachers what are called exploding contracts—new teachers are forced to sign letters of resignation at the same time as they sign contracts. That way, the board does not have to fire anyone; they already have dozens of resignations they can use instead.» —“Why the teachers are on strike against Peel board” by Marion Piroth de Man, Barry Johnson in Mississauga, Ontario Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada) Oct. 13, 1979. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In her book, Canadian English: A Linguistic Reader, University of Toronto professor Elaine Gold writes extensively about the common Canadian discourse tag eh? This word can serve as a confirmation marker, much like the discourse tag right? The word...
After our conversation about knitters’ slang, including the term stash, meaning “a supply of yarn not currently in use,” a Texas listener shares the message she saw on a sign at her local crafts shop: I hope my husband doesn’t sell my stash for what...