knocking box
n.— «The three pigs are released into a chute that guides them into the building and directly into what is called a “knocking box.” The knocking box is a tall concrete box with an entrance from the outside, a gate across the front and stairs running up the side of it. At the top of the stairs, two rifles are mounted on the wall. The floor is streaked with blood. This is the animals” first step onto the kill floor.» —“Gone to market” by Andrea Weigl News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina) Aug. 14, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
How do social media algorithms shape the way we communicate? A new book argues that the competition for clicks is changing the way we speak and write, from the so-called “YouTube accent” to the surprising evolution of the word preppy. Also: A...
The so-called “lifestyle influencer accent” you hear in videos on TikTok and YouTube, where someone speaks with rising tones at the end of sentences and phrases, suggesting that they’re about to say something important, is a form of what linguists...