rubber room
n.— «He cites the process in New York city, where the best they can do with teachers that are incompetent, violent or sex offenders is to put them in what is called a “rubber room,” a segregated space where they do no work all day while still getting full pay because the process for dismissal takes years.» —“Do not believe everything that you’re told” by John Christie Kennebec Journal (Augusta, Maine) July 2, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece of legislation. Plus, the language of yoga teachers: When doing a guided meditation, you may hear...
After our conversation about towns with extremely short names, many listeners wrote to tell us about Why, Arizona. Others pointed out that there are towns called Ely in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nevada. Other super-short appellations include Rye, New...