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
Melissa in Charlotte, North Carolina, remembers her grandfather would describe something excellent as better than snuff, but not near as dusty. The snuff in this case refers to finely ground smokeless tobacco. It arose at a time when snuff was...
Adam in Abilene, Texas, has fond memories of his mother’s Tex-Mex recipe in a casserole dish. Is it properly called a casserole? A tamale pie? It has to do with whether the dish is baked or not. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...