fling n.— «He studied the deep-earth sources of earthquakes and coined the more graphic term “fling” for a phenomenon scientists call elastic rebound, which occurs along a fault line in an earthquake’s initial stages. It is...
suicide Tuesday n.— «“People take ecstasy Saturday night and they feel great and then on Tuesday, they crash,” a phenomenon he calls “Suicide Tuesday.”» —“Ecstasy: From Overseas To Our Streets” by Bryn...
smirting n. using smoking as a pretense to flirt. Editorial Note: This word has signs of being factitious: the first appearance of the word so far found is in a press release, and nearly all uses of the word found anywhere in print talk about the...
smirting n.— «Indulged in a bit of smirting lately? Yes, that’s right, smirting. It’s the new phenomenon of smokers ducking outside the pub or workplace and engaging in a bit of good old-fashioned flirting.» —“Smoke laws fan flames...
I love me wall n.— «The wall on the left was liberally covered with plaques of the ships he’d served on, and enough signed photographs for a Hollywood agent’s office. Naval officers call this phenomenon the I LOVE ME! wall, and while most...
kidnapping lite n.— «Abductions for pay have become common occurrences over the past few years in desperately poor Haiti. Experts have taken to calling the phenomenon “fast-food kidnapping” or “kidnapping lite...