three-jack n.— «He yearned to test his golf swing so headed to California and the Golden State Tour. The swing stood up for him but his putting was awful, earning him the nickname “Three-jack” for three-putting so often.» —“Teaching pro ends...
call calf-rope v. phr.— «“I said I wasn’t going to say anything about the rain, but at this point I am about ready to call calf-rope,” said Kerens Grain’s Sonny Carpenter, using a term meaning, “I give up,” similar to calling “uncle.”» —“Inside the...
hooker n.— «Hook: An invaluable offensive tool in the fight game, but only a precious few are able to use it to devastating effect. Those who can and do, are often referred to as “hookers”, and not in the pejorative sense. De La Hoya is a hooker...
thumb-sucker n.— «For every inane segment on “Dateline” or plodding thumb-sucker on PBS, there is a smart, innovative documentary elsewhere.» —“From One Voice to Many, a New Golden Age of News” by Alessandra Stanley New York Times July 26, 2006...
flower pot n.— «The “flower pot” was a steel container that was laid on the concrete slipway into which the ends of wooden poles were placed. Attached to the poles were “thwarts” (horizontal beams), along which planks were laid and acted as...
trophy home n.— «The biggest change I’ve seen? It’s the size, the trophy homes.…That’s not Nantucket. People used to build with common sense. But the trend I’ve seen is that somebody wants a house bigger than the guy next to him. The billionaire...