Lebanese loop
n.— «Another common technique is known as the Lebanese Loop (named after a Lebanese crime syndicate that invented it). The fraudsters install a plastic slot with a loop of tape inside it on bank machines. When a customer puts in his cards, the tape catches it. Then a gang member comes to the aid of the customer as he tries to retrieve his card, and suggests that he punch in his PIN to get the card back. When the customer leaves, the gang member retrieves the card and uses it.» —“The Sting” by Peter Cheney Globe and Mail (Toronto, Can.) Sept. 10, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say...
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...