mother pipe
n.— «You transport oil and gas by piping them. You know that there is what is called the mother pipe in the oil and gas industry, which is only 30 per cent of the value of the pipe. You buy the pipe and you come here and do what is called threading and coating.» —“Govt’s local content policy working in Onne free zone—Abe” Vanguard (Lagos, Nigeria) Feb. 29, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...
What exactly is a planet? Controversy over this question led to Pluto’s redefinition, along with a brand-new English word. And: Some people now use the phrase all the things! to mean and whatnot or you know what I mean. This new sense of all...