haircut
v. phr.— «When individuals or businesses go bankrupt, banks are forced to take what bankers euphemistically call “a haircut.”» —“Writing off the debt” by Salil Tripathi Guardian (U.K.) July 8, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Cat hair may be something you brush off, but cat hair is also a slang term that means “money.” In the same way, cat beer isn’t alcoholic — some people use cat beer as a joking term for “milk.” And imagine walking on a...
One secret to writing well is … there is no secret! There’s no substitute for simply sitting down day after day to practice the craft and learn from your mistakes. Plus, childhood mixups around word definitions can lead to some funny stories...