bunny hug n.— «It shares its name with a dance move from 1912, and was once also called a “cotton popover” and a “kangaroo sweatshirt.” What the majority of the English-speaking world refers to as the hooded sweatshirt, or hoodie, is known in...
meatlift v.— «Every supermarket detective—or “loss-prevention specialist,” as many prefer to be called—has an offbeat meatlifting story to share. There’s the one about the lady who seemingly defied the laws of physics by stuffing an entire...
whoops ticket n.— «The “Whoops” or courtesy tickets are given in lieu of fines. Each vehicle is allowed three, but if Whoops, you did it again, you would get a parking ticket.» —“Council to vote on courtesy tickets for out-of-towners” by Liz...
sweep room n. a place in which tardy students are detained in lieu of sending them to their classes. Etymological Note: So named because students are gathered in searching sweeps of hallways and grounds. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
flush tax n.— «The U.S. Department of Defense has agreed to spend $22 million upgrading its wastewater- treatment plants throughout Maryland in lieu of paying the Ehrlich administration’s “flush tax”—a move that ends nearly two years of legal...
dop system n.— «Experts say the culture of drinking is the legacy of exploitation by white farmers. In the past, workers were routinely given wine in lieu of pay, a practice known as the “dop system.” This was banned in the 1920s, but remained...