air-sparaging n.— «Drilling began in 1995 for wells to be used in a process, called air-sparaging, to clean out the coal tar contaminants.» —“Coal-tar cleanup took 20 years” by Mark Simonson Daily Star (Oneonta, New York) Jan. 7, 2008. (source:...
pigtailing n.— «Fire officials said two employees were filling canisters with acetylene using a series of connecting tubes in what is known as “pigtailing.” A connection malfunctioned, apparently creating enough pressure for one of the canisters to...
miner’s moss n.— «Metal grids and perforations weed out the rocks and large chunks of dirt, while black plastic ridges capture many of the heavy gold flakes. The runoff flows onto a jumble of what looks like plastic vermicelli. The so-called...
cold-iron v. (of a ship) to receive electricity, heat, water, and other utilities from shoreside. Editorial Note: The noun “cold iron” refers to a ship that cannot or does not operate under its own power, as seen in the 1956 and 1963 citations...
put a nickel in someone v. phr.— «She has complained about inhumane and unesthetic working conditions (“It’s as if I were a machine and they just put a nickel in me”).» —“A Triumph Thank Goodness” by Tom Donnelly Washington Post Jan. 13, 1973...
put a nickel in someone
v. phr.— «Somebody put a nickel in him today.» —“The Early Show” by Jane Clayson CBS News Aug. 29, 2001. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)