spiff
n.— «You’ll typically get a slight discount (three to 10 percent off the full retail price) but it won’t be as much as what you might negotiate with the dealer if you were buying directly from him, since the U. S. dealers lose out on several “spiffs” and “give-backs,” as they’re called in the trade, when they’re just a go-between for a direct-from-the-factory sale.» —“European Car-Delivery Plans Can Be a Bargain” by Stephan Wilkinson Perrin Post Travel Blog July 12, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Jane in Denver, Colorado, notes some people using the term an in front of a word beginning with a consonant, as if to emphasize that word by modifying it with the incorrect definite article. That may be what’s happening in this scene from the...
National Book Award winner Barry Lopez had wise advice for young writers. First, read widely and follow your curiosity. Second, travel or learn a foreign language. And third, find out what you truly believe, because if you’re not writing from...