zapper n.— «Thanks to a software program called a zapper, even technologically illiterate restaurant and store owners can siphon cash from computer cash registers and cheat tax officials.» —“With Software, Till Tampering Is Hard to...
kill screen n.— «We talk about what is known in classic-gaming argot as the “kill screen.” This is the edge of the universe, the place where instructions end. Billy has seen a lot of kill screens. Pac-Man comes to a halt at level 256, as...
put a building to sleep v. phr.— «Most of the savings come from smarter use of the district’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems controlled by a new $2 million proprietary system called Automated Logic, said Larry Wilson...
Lynn from mid-Michigan reviews study-abroad scholarship essays and keeps seeing applicants say they want to be submerged in the culture. The word they probably want is immersed: both immerse and submerge can involve being in water, but their...
break beef v. phr.— «Every Friday, he picks up a carcass or two from Redwood Meat, then brings the meat back to the store and cuts it into rib-eyes, prime rib, filet mignon—just about every cut you can think of. What’s not used in the...
slip queen n.— «At the same time, state officials are about to launch an educational outreach program aimed at marine boat owners. Nonnative tunicates sometimes attach themselves to hulls. Particularly vulnerable are so-called “slip...