half mile of hell
n.— «He competed in the pony chuckwagon and chariot races that are a staple of small town rodeos.…The race itself, around an oval field—affectionately known as the “half mile of hell”—is just as fast and still dangerous.» —“A cowboy’s spine” by Brian Bergman Maclean’s (Can.) July 6, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a word-pecker is “a person who trifles or plays with, or quibbles over, words.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Word-Peckers” I always love it when I’m looking through...
How do dictionaries define colors? And why are some of those definitions so confusing, like “stronger than carmine” and “bluer than fiesta”? Dictionary editor Kory Stamper explains it all in her new book. Plus, the story behind the expression more...