floater n. a person who files down or smooths horse teeth; a tool used for such a task. Etymological Note: Directly related to the verb “to float,” meaning “to file the teeth of a horse.” The Oxford English Dictionary...
wireline adj. of communication or technology, connected by cable or wire; the opposite of wireless. Etymological Note: From the noun “wireline,” defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “a telegraph or telephone line of...
grow teeth v. phr. in golf, (said of a course or hole) to become difficult; generally, to increase in importance or effect. Editorial Note: The Oxford English Dictionary has a sense under tooth “pl. denoting the ability to compel or enforce...
ditch v. especially in the phrase ditch in line, to unfairly take a place in front of others (in a line); to cut or butt (in line); to jump a queue. Editorial Note: Also infrequently given as dish. This term is particularly common in Ohio. Political...
brick v. (generally) to fail; (of a person) to commit an error or do poorly; (especially in sports) to miss or fail to reach a target, goal, or destination; (of a musical recording) to fail to be successful or sell well; to stiff; (of an electronic...
bonk v. in bicycling, to become exhausted. Also bonk out and bonking, n. Editorial Note: Eric Partridge dates this term to the 1930s in his Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (8e, 1984), but no citations are given. Editor Paul Beale...