Iraq war three
n.— «We won’t see the gruesome effects of this until long after we’ve pulled out, when it may produce a dictator considerably worse than Saddam. Within the military community there is a worrying new phrase: “Iraq war three.” We might have to go back in another 10 years or so to depose the new Saddam. The difference is that next time round he’ll probably have a nuclear Iran backing him up.» —“Letters: Many battles still to come over Iraq” by Steven McLaughlin Guardian (United Kingdom) Apr. 20, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Susan from Virginia Beach, Virginia, shares the phrase her mother used when the kids refused to eat: It’ll grow hair on your back teeth. This supposed motivator likely blends two older traditions: a German idiom, Haare auf den Zähnen haben...
Why do speakers of the same language have different accents? A lively new book called Why We Talk Funny offers a linguist’s look at how and why accents develop. And: If you’ve “stood up” at a wedding, were you supporting the marriage or objecting to...