hundred-mile-an-hour tape n. a narrow roll of strong plastic, acrylic, or woven fiber backed with a strong adhesive; duct tape. Also two-hundred-mile-an-hour tape. Editorial Note: Duct tape is just one kind of adhesive tape that is called “hundred-mile-an-hour tape.” (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Chris in Omaha, Nebraska, asks about the use of the adjective husky to describe the boys’ clothing section in a department store. This coded term refers to clothes made for heavier fellows. Husky was originally a positive term connoting the...
The adjectives canine and feline refer to dogs and cats. But how does English address other groups of animals? Plus, cabin fever has been around much longer than the current pandemic. That restless, antsy, stir-crazy feeling goes back to the days...
It was called “hundred-mile-an-hour tape” initially by American helicopter crewmen during the Vietnam War, then the expression spread to other service members. The variety issued by the Army was medium green in color and two inches wide, and could be used on a helicopter to cover fuselage holes or hold down loose items (cables, equipment, torn metal, etc.) in flight. Like civilian duct tape, it was used for many other things as well, e.g. reinforcing book bindings or holding two M-16 magazines together so you could just flip the pair over to reload.