take-take n.— «Chinamasa mounted a political defence saying he was “caught in a crossfire” in a battle which he described in court as a “take-take, which in military terms means hand-to-hand combat using bayonets”...
fellistrim n.— «One thing dawned on me as I drove home from Kilkenny and it was this. There’s very little hurling in mountainy counties. The fields were lush and green with hardly a rush or a fellistrim.» —“Where I come from, we have...
half-widow n.— «Graham Cardwell has shown no inclination to return to his family, and, since he had done nothing illegal, the police are keeping his whereabouts secret. So Jane, too, remains a half-widow, the mystery of her husband’s...
green scare n.— «Multiple indictments have already been issued in these cases as part of a broad nationwide round-up of environmental and animal rights activists called “Operation Backfire” by the FBI, and colloquially...
blow a hoolie v. phr.— «Houses made from wool? More like pulling it over our eyes. What if it rains or blows a hoolie? Living in a tent might be fine for nomads in warmer climes, but camping out in Britain is hardly a cushy option...
buy bust n.— «At the time of the Aug. 11, 2005, bust, members of the Marin Major Crimes Task Force already had purchased 400 pills from Marquez. They arranged to buy 2,000 pills for $10,000 in a transaction known to investigators as the...