happy-clappy adj.— «And they have those happy-clappy waiters and waitresses who seem to love to sing birthday cheer, but appear to know next to nothing about the menu.» —“Olive Garden no delight” The...
squawk box v. phr.— «A former Merrill Lynch & Co. broker on trial for selling access to his firm’s “squawk box’ denied allowing clients to eavesdrop on internal orders at the firm, though he said he believed they were entitled...
scrambling n.— «They were doing what’s known as “scrambling,” or climbing without special gear—but were apparently doing so in a “no scrambling” area. Climbers are required to have a permit and proper gear if they...
200-mile-an-hour tape n.— «However, there’s even a better than best (though some might protest that characterization) known as the “nuclear grade,” which is used at reactors and a “200 mile an hour” tape made by...
firescaping n.— «California landscape architect Owen Dell has made firescaping a specialty. Says Dell, “Aesthetics is not one of the tradeoffs in fire-safe landscaping. A good design can incorporate fire safety, drought tolerance...
power dog n.— «She had had some close calls before last week’s attack, and had seen pit bulls and other “power dogs,” as she calls them, roaming the neighborhood, chains jangling behind them.» —“Dog-attack victim...