bean shoot n.— «Only a few weeks shy of parole in 1995, Andre found himself confined to a cell with walls the color of Pepto-Bismol. He received his meals through a slit in the door known in prison parlance as a “bean shoot”;...
Super-Duper Tuesday n.— «Texas lawmakers want in on Super-Duper Tuesday. That’s what some people call next year’s Feb. 5 presidential primary. It just added California to Arkansas, Delaware, Missouri, Oklahoma and Utah. New Mexico...
turnout gear n.— «There’s a picture in the Jefferson County Leader newspaper identifying Cronin as wearing a heavy firefighter’s coat and helping set up a temporary hazardous materials bath. Cronin denies he was in the picture, but others...
Stephen Girard job n.— «Years ago in Philadelphia they had what was known as a Stephen Girard job. During some previous hard times this philanthropist fenced in vacant ground, and anyone in need came in, carried bricks from one side to...
airdropping n.— «Many earmarks are placed in larger spending bills, often at the last minute—a practice known as “airdropping”—to avoid serious scrutiny. Even if voters learn about the earmark, they may be left in the dark as to who...
free-casing n.— «Torack was arrested by an off-duty police officer who was working as a security guard for the scrap metal yard. Torack suggested it was an example of “free-casing.” The term borrows from the drug vernacular—freebasing—and...