motion lotion n.— «When I was getting a pre-race rub down from our trainers, we Tigers ran out of what was known as “motion lotion”—think wintergreen, Ben-Gay and baby oil—heats up the muscles before you jump into a 76.2 F...
play n.— «That is why some companies are going back to old, supposedly tapped-out reservoirs—or “plays,” as they call them in the business—instead of opening virgin fields.» —“Oil Profits Fund Future...
sassywood n.— «About 50 people in the village of Klay, northwestern Liberia, recently gathered to watch a man apply red-hot metal to the limbs of four youths accused of robbery. The man dipped a machete in a concoction of water, palm oil...
prairie whale n.—Gloss: a hog. Note: So-called because its fat can be used for things usually done with ambergris. «By the 1840s, whale oil’s dominance in lighting was under sustained attack. Lard oil, boiled from the fat of hogs, or...
sky trust n.— «Carbon capping comes in three varieties: cap-and-trade, cap-and-auction, and cap-and-recycle.…In cap-and-recycle, permits are also sold, not given away free. However, the revenue doesn’t go to the government—it goes...
velveting n.— «I’m happy to share with you the secret behind such sublime results: a technique Western cooks, when speaking of Chinese cooking, refer to as “velveting.” All you have to do is mix together some egg whites...