age-doping n.— «Under pressure to address “age-doping,” the IOC asked the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG) on Friday to re-open the Federation’s previous investigation into the matter of the girls’ ages. Prior to the competition, when...
LPU n.— «It’s refreshing to read about a discovery that isn’t just a tiny increment. Today’s scientists are under pressure to publish something new, leading to what some cynically call the LPU, or Least Publishable Unit. You find some new detail...
whipsawing n.— «Whipsawing is a term for the corporate tactic of pitting employees at one plant against workers at another plant of the same company. Workers who produce similar vehicles or components find themselves in competition to get new work...
pancake people n.pl.— «But today, I see within us all (myself included) the replacement of complex inner density with a new kind of self-evolving under the pressure of information overload and the technology of the “instantly available.” A new self...
God shot n.— «The machine is for people who like to fiddle—and not everyone wants to grind beans, pre-heat demitasses, tamp at just the right pressure, “temperature surf” and do all the other hoo-ha necessary to produce a perfect shot (or “God...
free vote n.— «Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, leader of the Roman Church in England and Wales, went public to insist that Labour MP’s should be granted what is known as a “free vote,” the process by which party members are allowed to vote their...