hostility room
n.— «It was an honour to be a starter when a big celebrity was the main course. I would tremble a bit in the hostility room (as it’s known in the business), but once I was in the other armchair, I would throw in a joke, a couple of stories about my mother and retire to watch the star sweep in.» —“I find chat shows hard work these days” by Maureen Lipman Guardian (United Kingdom) Sept. 4, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Aubrey in Waco, Texas, says her mother used to warn the kids against contracting honkus of the bonkus, a fanciful name for a contagious disease. This colloquial term probably comes from the words bonk and konk, meaning “to hit” or...
Lucy in Louisa, Virginia, recalls that if her mother was exasperated when the kids were misbehaving, she’d announce I’m going to put you both in a wet paper bag and see who falls out first! This is part of a complete episode.
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