Motown sweep
n.— «That move you wrote about today where drivers exit from the left lane has a name. It’s called “the Motown Sweep.” I’m not sure who coined the phrase, but I originally heard about it from one of my professors at Wayne State University in the 1980s. He explained that it was most prevalent on I-94 for whatever reason. I think it’s been an epidemic for a long time. By any name it’s pure idiocy.» —“Readers rage about idiocy on freeways” by Matt Helms Detroie Free Press (Michigan) Sept. 7, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Jim in Columbia, South Carolina, has noticed sportscasters’ use of the phrase on the season with reference to a period of time. This construction shows up in the sports pages as early as the 1880s, first referring to a team’s revenue and...
The slang phrase someone ate and left no crumbs means the person did something really well. In a previous call, a listener who works in theater noted the use of ate to mean “did something well,” as in they really ate that haircut! This...