pouncing
n.— «An overhead projector blows up his drawings into mural-size images. Then, Whalen uses an electric stylus to burn tiny holes into thin paper, which he can post on the mural panels. He bangs chalk through the paper and onto the panels, a technique known as pouncing. The chalk marks serve as a guide for where to paint.» —“Changing view” by Shirin Parsavand in La Mesa Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California) Sept. 10, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Michelle in Williamsburg, Virginia, wonders about the origin of alley-oop!, which she says when hoisting her toddler. It’s from French allez, the imperative of aller meaning “to go” and houp or hop, an onomatopoeic utterance made...
A flashlight emits a steady beam of light. So what’s the flash part of that word about? Also, if you’re a nervous Nellie, you’re skittish and indecisive—both characteristics of an American politician who earned that nickname in the...