fill the tree
v. phr.— «“Fill the tree”—This is Lott’s technique. Under Senate procedures, a bill may have only a finite number of amendments attached to it at one time. This is called the “amendment tree,” and the Senate’s manual of procedures has charts describing how many and what kind of amendments a particular bill might have. Highway reauthorization offers seven slots: six for amendments and one for a motion to send the bill back to a committee. Lott filled them all up the moment he brought the bill to the floor, allowing no one else (Democrats) a chance to hang anything (campaign finance) on the tree.» —“In Translation…“ Washington Post Oct. 27, 1997. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Mary Beth in Greenville, South Carolina, wonders: Why do we say four-oh-nine for the number 409 instead of four-zero-nine or four-aught-nine? What are the rules for saying either zero or oh or aught or ought to indicate that arithmetical symbol...
Astronauts returning from space say they experience what’s called the overview effect, a new understanding of the fragility of our planet and our need to reflect on what humans all share as a species. A book about the end of the universe...