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
Lucy in Louisa, Virginia, recalls that if her mother was exasperated when the kids were misbehaving, she’d announce I’m going to put you both in a wet paper bag and see who falls out first! This is part of a complete episode.
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