Laura in San Diego, California, wonders about the tradition of performers saying Toi toi toi to each other backstage to wish each other a good performance. It’s possible that it derives from the ancient idea that spitting three times can ward off...
turfcrete n.— «Residents would have to use asphalt, cement, bricks or something called “turfcrete” for their new parking spots, and the spots would have to be perpendicular to the roadway instead of parallel.» —“Planners deadlock on looser yard...
whisper grinding n.— «Caltrans instead is considering a technique called “whisper grinding” to make the concrete on I-5 quieter.» —“Green approach produces quiet streets” by Dave Downey North County Times (Escondido, Caliornia) May 27, 2008...
affinity fraud n.— «When the scoundrel running the fraud is a trusted person, it makes the crime even more repulsive. Affinity fraud, as it is known, often includes people who put themselves in positions of trust at churches or schools, in social...
frozen zoo n.— «During her eight years of service, she has advanced from washing lab slides to keeping the computerized inventory of what is sometimes called the “frozen zoo.” That includes thousands of animal sperm and unfertilized egg samples...
drape n.— «Enter Mr. Sapienza, the freshly recruited weight-training instructor from the Maryland Reform School for Boys. In less than a week, using nonviolent methods that probably would get him fired today, he had the “drapes” as they were...