HAC n.— «The apparel is one of many new tools medical professionals are adding to their arsenal for the fight against hospital-acquired conditions. HACs, as they are called, are injuries or ailments patients receive after admission...
peanut butter approach n.—Gloss: Focusing tax breaks or government stimulus money thinly across a lot of beneficiaries instead of targeting those areas in need of the most help. «A number of speakers Wednesday called for an end to Ohio’s...
springboard injunction n.— «In this case, the judge granted what is called a “springboard” injunction. The idea of a springboard injunction is to prevent employees taking advantage of previous breaches of contract. In this...
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...
TBTF n.— «We’re talking about a pair of institutions that hold or guarantee more than half of the nation’s mortgages. In other words, they’re TBTF (too big to fail) and it’s a sure bet that we won’t let them go under. Treasury Secretary...
Welcome to another newsletter from A Way with Words! This past weekend we aired the episode in which we talked about "grouch bag," the pronunciation of "patronize," the origin of "dead heat," and the use of the German...

