necklace light
n.— «The lights on the bridge cables, in a colorful bit of shop talk, are called “necklace lights.” The phrase, or a variation of it, appears to have been around for a couple of decades (a caption on a 1981 New York Times photo by Fred R. Conrad of one of Mr. Cipriano’s bridge-maintenance forbears alludes to it).» —“Screwing In Light Bulbs, With Pride, on the Brooklyn Bridge” by Jake Mooney New York Times Dec. 28, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. We all know this proverb means to respect local customs when traveling, or more generally, to go along with a larger group. But why Rome? There’s a surprising story behind this phrase. And: Do we inherit our...
Nancy Gabriel from Ithaca, New York, recalls her father’s no-nonsense responses to minor injuries when she was a child: After making sure she was really all right, he’d say, It’s far enough from your heart; it won’t kill you. Other times he...