artificial sun n.— «A 1:8 miniature model of the world’s first Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) will be on display at the China Chongqing Investment and Global Sourcing Fair. Also known as an “artificial sun,” the device was...
virtual orchestra machine n.— «In picketing and press releases, it refers to products like Notion and Sinfonia as “virtual orchestra machines”: a kind of alien in the pit.» —“Theater’s Alive With the Sound of Laptops” by Jesse Green New York...
bio-ink n.— «Here’s how it works: A customized milling machine prints a small sheet of bio-paper. This “paper” is a variable gel composed of modified gelatin and hyaluronan, a sugar-rich material. Bio-ink blots—each a little ball of cellular...
fleeing voter syndrome n.— «Stephen J. Strahs, co-founder of the two-year-old citizen elections watchdog group, said that county officials in the past have attributed these undercounts to the “fleeing voter syndrome.” This is the term used to...
put a quarter in someone v. phr.— «The guy is like a machine—put a quarter in him, and he gets a base hit.» —“U. Texas-Austin: Majewski’s streak ends at 11 as Texas routs UTSA 20-3″ by Brian Welch in University of Texas-Austin U-Wire Feb. 20, 2002...
put a nickel in someone v. phr.— «She has complained about inhumane and unesthetic working conditions (“It’s as if I were a machine and they just put a nickel in me”).» —“A Triumph Thank Goodness” by Tom Donnelly Washington Post Jan. 13, 1973...