hit a number v. phr.— «Inserra knows how intense the pressure to inflate values can get. Three years ago, he found himself battling one of his largest clients. The bank’s senior vice president in charge of mortgage lending tried to get Inserra to...
gibbled adj.— «In Saskatchewan, we’re all familiar with the word. “Gibbled” describes something that is broken or wobbly or otherwise dysfunctional. Usually it applies to things physical (“If you run on that gibbled ankle, the swelling will only...
welfare wall n.— «Flaherty’s target is a situation often called “the welfare wall.” As a result of increased taxes and reduced income support from government programs, a typical single parent with one child who takes a low-income job can lose...
narcling n.— «“It’s rough stuff,” said John Donnelly, a lead instructor at the DEA training facility on the sprawling Marine base at Quantico. Donnelly got his start in the late 1980s busting meth labs in California’s Central Valley as a new DEA...
crowd in a can n.— «When Jordan Medich—who plays basketball for the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown—was in middle school, Dane Medich attended his son’s games and was referred to as “a crowd in a can” because of how—and how loudly—he cheered...
devil day n.— «Thursdays and Fridays are when F-1 inmates order and receive their week’s supply of snacks from the canteen. These are the tensest days, Les Farrar has learned in his seven months in the cage. Inmates call them devil days. Those who...

