lawnmower survey
n.— «Over a 20-hour mission the team surveys 5km x 4km sections by running the AUV up and down, building up about 15 overlapping swaths of sonar data in a process known as a lawnmower survey. The multi-beam sonar produces 111 beams of sound at right angles to the AUV’s path, each taking a depth measurement, which are put together to build up a picture of the ocean floor.» —“Drop in the ocean” The Engineer (London, United Kingdom) Sept. 16, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Need a slang term that can replace just about any noun? Try chumpie. If you’re from Philadelphia, you may already know this handy placeholder word. And there’s Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, and … The Bronx — why do we add...
Diamond dust, tapioca snow, and sugar icebergs — a 1955 glossary of arctic and subarctic terms describes the environment in ways that sound poetic. And a mom says her son is dating someone who’s non-binary. She supports their relationship, but...