shake and bake
n.— «They go through what is called shake n’ bake training and it’s something the public has never seen before…until now.…At first, the men are timed. They get all their gear on in about 30 seconds. But the rules keep changing. When they scatter the gear, it takes longer. And then it gets really interesting. The two lieutenants running the exercise make the guys turn their face masks around so they can’t see. They also make it so loud in the room, they can’t hear each other. Then they spread out the gear. This time the men are forced to find another way to communicate with their brother firefighters. It’s all about teamwork.» —“Firefighter Training: More than sirens and flashing lights” by Michelle Ponto WREG-TV (Memphis, Tennessee) Feb. 2, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Candace from Memphis, Tennessee, wonders about the phrase You’re eating me out of house and home. The emphatic doublet house and home is part of a long tradition that includes scared out of house and home and chased out of house and home. Even...
Alisa from Memphis, Tennessee, shares a story about her mother emerging from sedation after a significant head injury. Her mom’s first words were Let’s get down to brass tacks. The phrase means “Let’s get to the point” or “Let’s get down to...