snag
n.— «A bolt of lighting had struck a 70-foot-tall snag—a standing dead tree—in the Tin Cup Creek drainage of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness early that morning, and was burning in what looked like knee-high brush.» —“For Firefighters, the Job Comes Down to Playing Percentages” by Jeff Barnard in Grants Pass, Ore. Los Angeles Times Dec. 9, 2001. (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...
Cat hair may be something you brush off, but cat hair is also a slang term that means “money.” In the same way, cat beer isn’t alcoholic — some people use cat beer as a joking term for “milk.” And imagine walking on a...