Sherman carpet
n.— «Children were trained to wrap themselves with explosives and throw themselves under our Sherman tanks. Later, our troops referred to them as “Sherman carpets.”» —“Atomic bombs spared bloody invasion” by Merle Hill Tomah Monitor Herald (Wisc.) Aug. 18, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say...
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...