ghost n.— «The two are known as “ghosts,” in police parlance, or undercover officers whose job is to keep an eye on and provide back-up to a third undercover officer who is doing the buy-and-bust work.» —“Man Shot Dead by Police on...
A listener in Brazil challenges Martha’s pronunciation of the odd English word antipodes. Their email exchange leads Martha to muse about a favorite collection of poems, where she first encountered this word.
pass-back n.— «In the past, Spa GP had used paper tickets, which had to be visually checked by stadium employees as ticket-holders arrived. This process often led to long queues as visitors entered the stadium. Spa GP had also struggled...
freezing n.— «Hospital workers also are upset with a practice called “freezing,” in which they’re ordered to work back-to-back eight-hour shifts.» —“Unsafe conditions found at state psychiatric hospital” by...
SaaS n.— «Intacct—the name is short for “Internet accounting”—exemplifies a broad business trend on the Web often called SaaS—short for “software as a service” and pronounced “sass.”» —“Online...
back-porch money n.— «That’s not to say street money doesn’t cause problems. For one thing, by the time it reaches ward leaders, it is cash. While some ward leaders are assiduous about keeping receipts and filing the necessary public...