take a haircut v. phr.— «D’Amico “did one dastardly deed, and now he is missing in action and won’t talk to anybody,” the major-label financial executive says. “There hasn’t even been an ‘ask’ yet.” By that, he...
hump strap n.— «The second is a trick I use to make moving furniture easier on your back. Fold your 25-foot extension cord into fourths…, creating a 6-foot “hump strap.” This allows you to pick up and move heavy objects, like this...
lane n. an area of expertise or (military) responsibility; a mandate. Etymological Note: As explained in the comments, this usage is probably an extension of the idea of a shooting lane, where each shooter must keep fire within a long track. Perhaps...
blast n. an advertising or marketing message sent in bulk, especially via email. Etymological Note: This is a specialized extension of two more common meanings of blast, defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary as “a forceful attack or...
eff off loop n.— «A recorded message announced “Thank you for calling the European Commission in London. For assistance, please press ‘1’ on your telephone keypad now.” This led to a new message: “Extension 1 is invalid...
chalk n. the personnel and equipment that make up the load of an aircraft. Editorial Note: Almost certainly an extension of a chalk as a record-keeping mark, which dates at least 400 years. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)