little red dot
n.— «Comparing Singapore with the United States, Japan and Australia, Goh said: “We are not in the same class. After all we are only three million people. Just a little red dot on the map. Where is the capacity to help 211 million people?” Goh said. In an interview earlier this month Indonesia President B.J. Habibie was quoted as referring to Singapore as a “red dot” on a map.» —“Singapore to help Indonesia within limits” in Singapore Reuters Aug. 23, 1998. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The English language has been greatly enriched by borrowings from the languages of Asia. Barely scratching the surface, we have from Japan skosh, tycoon, tsunami, origami, yen, kimono, futon, and karaoke. From Chinese comes yen, kowtow, gung ho, and...
Cat hair may be something you brush off, but cat hair is also a slang term that means “money.” In the same way, cat beer isn’t alcoholic — some people use cat beer as a joking term for “milk.” And imagine walking on a...