old man’s friend
n.— «Pneumonia was even called the old man’s friend. Infectious diseases with their usually gentle dying process provided the major cause of death until antibiotics were discovered.» —“Society should accept that euthanasia is a ‘personal decision,’ report says” by Roger Dobson British Medical Journal (U.K.) Feb. 22, 2003. (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...
Unwrap the name of a candy bar, and you just might find a story inside. For instance, one chewy treat found in many a checkout lane is named after a family’s beloved horse. And: 50 years ago in the United States, some Latino elementary...