grassing
n.— «Neil Sheehan, a spokesman with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said the older of the two Salem units had reached 80 percent power when operators had to shut it down due to what the industry calls grassing. “You have to remember this isn’t ordinary grass,” Sheehand said. “This is marsh grass. It’s seaweed-like, and heavy.” The grass clogged a rotating screen that is designed to keep the grass and other material out of the reactor’s cooling system. This is the grassing season, Sheehan said.» —“Marsh grass ruins restart of Salem I” by David Benson Press of Atlantic City (New Jersey) May 2, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Brian from Lafayette, Indiana, wonders why chicken is abbreviated CHX in the restaurant industry. Using X as a substitute or shortener has a long history. Medieval scribes sometimes drew a line through the final stroke of an abbreviated word. This...
Amy from Charlotte, North Carolina, reports a dispute arose when visiting her brother’s family. Is a large container for storing sugar properly called a can or a canister? The answer involves prototype theory, which in cognitive linguistics and...