squirrel guard
n.— «Spidery-looking bits of metal and inexpensive pieces of plastic are at the heart of one of the most important strategies Entergy Texas has to prevent power outages. Commonly called squirrel guards, more than 100,000 of them are perched atop poles throughout Southeast Texas, effectively preventing the furry critters from coming into contact with equipment that has the potential to kill the animals while also causing a fault that would turn the lights off for Entergy customers.» —“‘Squirrely’ power outages pack unpopular punch” Hardin County News (Lumberton, Texas) Jan. 17, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Aubrey in Waco, Texas, says her mother used to warn the kids against contracting honkus of the bonkus, a fanciful name for a contagious disease. This colloquial term probably comes from the words bonk and konk, meaning “to hit” or...
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...