exploding offer
n.— «A Washington judge then hinted that he could have a job if he was willing to accept it on the spot, but never made a formal offer. Finally, he got an exploding offer from 2nd Circuit Judge Amalya Lyle Kearse in New York, who gave him four hours to decide. He said yes.» —“No Order in Courting of Law Clerks; Judges Trample on Efforts to Rein In Annual Bidding for Students” by Michael Grunwald Washington Post Feb. 16, 1999. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...
A young caller from the Hudson Valley of New York wonders about his grandmother’s use of stemwinder to praise a speech she thought was excellent. In the early 1800s, people used pocket watches that had to be wound with a tiny key. Once someone...