roller skate effect
n.— «There is also what is called the roller skate effect, where the wheels and tires are too small for the body. (Volkswagens of the 1980s seemed to have especially small wheels proportionally, and fell prey to this phenomenon.) Huge wheels of 20, 22 or 23 inches, by contrast, make a vehicle look tough.» —“Body Language: How to Talk the Designers’ Talk” by Phil Patton New York Times Apr. 1, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
If you speak a second or third language, you may remember the first time you dreamed in that new tongue. But does this milestone mean you’re actually fluent? And a couple’s dispute over the word regret: Say you wish you’d been able...
While reading Great Expectations (Bookshop|Amazon) by Charles Dickens, a listener in Arlington, Texas, is surprised when one of the characters inherits some money, which Dickens describes as a cool four thousand. Were they really using cool that way...