social x-ray
n.— «An original “social X-ray,” the phrase coined by Tom Wolfe to describe the premier rich and thin socialites of the Upper East Side, she never hesitated to admit that she loved making an entrance, loved being noticed and loved being photographed.» —“‘Poor man’s philanthropist’ Thomas Cannon dies” Contra Costa Times (Florida) July 5, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Diane, a bridge player from Wilmington, North Carolina, asks about sitting with the bathtub, a phrase her friend uses for a lopsided game where one pair keeps getting the good cards. The phrase appears in newspaper columns about bridge starting in...
Is there such a thing as a “neutral” accent, and if so what does it sound like? And that quirk in the way southern Californians talk about freeways. They’ll say things like take the 405 and get on the 8. Why the definite article...