hat-rack
v.— «Replacing that stock was slowed last fall when canker, the disease most dangerous to citrus, was discovered in several Florida nurseries. Millions of seedlings had to be destroyed. Other trees damaged in 1983 were “hat-racked”—pruned until they only had three or four limbs.» —“Florida Citrus Devastated In Record Freeze” San Francisco Chronicle Jan. 23, 1985. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Chad in Hilliard, Florida, wonders about the expression old as Methuselah, meaning “extremely advanced in years.” The phrase references Methuselah, a figure in Jewish, Islamic, and Christian tradition said to be 969 years old when he...
Carmen in Jacksonville, Florida, was told she was pretty as a speck of puff. The more common simile is pretty as a speckled pup or cute as a speckled pup. This is part of a complete episode.
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