put on the black
n.— «On the wiretaps, Cole describes the violence he used to enforce his will as “putting on the black.” And it has worked.» —“Region’s largest cocaine ring uncovered” by Torsten Ove Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pa.) Oct. 24, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...