on memo
adv. phr.— «The purchase from the salesman is an exception in a business where buying goods on “memo” is the norm. Instead of taking merchandise on consignment, or memo, Friedman and his buyers bargain down the price, buy it outright and then pass some of the savings back to customers.» —“Borsheim’s Move to Regency ‘Beyond Hopes’” by Steve Jordon, Bill Batson Omaha World-Herald (Nebraska) June 5, 1988. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Chris in Omaha, Nebraska, asks about the use of the adjective husky to describe the boys’ clothing section in a department store. This coded term refers to clothes made for heavier fellows. Husky was originally a positive term connoting the...
John in Omaha, Nebraska, wonders about a phrase that encourages someone to attend an event or risk being left out or feeling uncool: be there or be square. Don’t fall for the fake etymology about people wearing boxes on their heads! Ditto for...