jingle mail
n.— «I have heard about isolated cases of “jingle mail,” where homeowners have mailed in the keys because they can’t make the payments and no longer have any equity in their homes. That phrase was a prominent feature of the S&L bust and ensuing real-estate debacle in 1990-1991—and something we’ll be hearing lots more about in the future.» —“Even if the Fed pauses, the trend is down” by Bill Fleckenstein MSN Money Aug. 7, 2006. (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...