headache ball
n.— «Headache ball: The large, round, steel ball weighing 500 to 1,000 pounds that hangs from the end of a construction crane’s cable. It has a hook on the bottom and is used to keep the cable from rolling back up on itself.» —“Chicago Speak” by Anne Keegan Chicago Tribune Feb. 3, 1994. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
To slip someone a mickey means to doctor a drink and give it to an unwitting recipient. The phrase goes back to Mickey Finn of the Lone Star Saloon in Chicago, who in the late 19th century was notorious for drugging certain customers and relieving...
After our chat about tongue twisters, a Chicago, Illinois, listener shares one that looks much easier than it sounds: Irish wristwatch. This is part of a complete episode.
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