laying pipe
n.— «“laying pipe”: writing and delivering the onerous dialogue which provids backstory and the plot facts needed to support the weight of the funny (or interesting). Exposition, kids, and it ain’t fun. Example: “Geesh, all Dougie’s doing this scene is laying pipe. Couldn’t we give him a joke?” One always strives to lay pipe in an interesting way, or “hide the pipe” in an otherwise entertaining sequence. Such a two-for one is a pleasant flourish signifying your professional ability, like a nice chip shot.» —“Writing: Jargon Preservation” by John Rogers Kung Fu Monkey Apr. 15, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What if, instead of being an inanimate object, a dictionary were alive? That’s the idea behind a lavishly illustrated new children’s book called The Dictionary Story (Bookshop|Amazon) by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston. This is part of a...
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...