Does the expression to boot, as in “I’ll sell you this Hummer and throw in a free tank of gas to boot,” have anything to do with booting up a computer? This is part of a complete episode.
wrinkling n.— Note: “Wrinkle,” spelled with an R, is a regional name for the periwinkle. «Jobs like “wrinkling”—the local term for heading out into the intertidal zone at low tide and gathering periwinkles for sale...
peaker plant n.— «Our natural gas fueled electricity generating facilities are commonly referred to as “peaker” plants. Our plants are used to balance unexpected short term surges in demand, making them critical to the...
bullet line n.— «There’s a lot of talk about the bullet line in Juneau these days. Now we even have a bullet line czar that Gov. Sarah Palin has designated to ramrod the project—Harry Noah, a veteran and capable state official...
sputtering n.— «Metal ion creation in the semiconductor industry relies on a technique called sputtering. Traditional sputtering relies on a gas such as argon being heated to plasma and then contained by a magnetic field between a layer...
fuel poor adj.— «It is estimated that by Christmas 6m households will be defined as “fuel poor”—spending more than 10% of their income on gas and electricity. The prospect of the government fulfilling its 2001 pledge to eradicate fuel...