mugging
n.— «They’re luring (people) in under the guise of a survey.…“Our industry calls that sugging—soliciting under the guise of interviewing. Or mugging—marketing under the guise of interviewing.» —“Study: Not all phone surveys are legitimate” by Kelly Shiers Chronicle Herald (Halifax, Nova Scotia) Nov. 21, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Brian from Lafayette, Indiana, wonders why chicken is abbreviated CHX in the restaurant industry. Using X as a substitute or shortener has a long history. Medieval scribes sometimes drew a line through the final stroke of an abbreviated word. This...
In 1916, a small-town newspaper in Pennsylvania printed a fanciful item about a local gathering with a guest list that included, among others, Miss Ella Vader, Mr. Ray Zor, and other punny names. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...