spud n.— «When working in deep water, the hull of the dredge is held in place by two forward spuds (large steel poles) and one aft spud. Each of these spuds has “power down” capability. Using the spud’s winch system, the...
red mushroom n.— «A preliminary investigation also found that the train’s braking system was not defective and that the operator did not press the “red mushroom”—Muni parlance for the bright red button on the operator’s...
jump v.— «The bodies of four construction workers—a crane operator and three riggers who were helping to “jump” the crane, or increase its height—were uncovered shortly after the collapse.…The disaster occurred at 2:22 p.m. on...
split n.—Gloss: shortened form of “split shift.” «These restrictions create what is known as “splits.” Thus a bus operator may come to work at 4 a.m., work four hours until 8 a.m., then be sent home to report again...
blowing brains n.— «On Nov. 28, Dr. DeVries’s boss, Dr. Ruth Lynfield, the state epidemiologist, toured the plant. She and the owner, Kelly Wadding, paid special attention to the head table. Dr. Lynfield became transfixed by one procedure...
voodoo rig n.— «The large dinosaurs glide along, attached to low-slung go-carts run by jockey-size drivers. A second operator in a control booth uses a “voodoo rig”—a device that fits along the operator’s arm—to move a dinosaur’s body...