open winter n.— «This was partly because Leavenworth was enjoying an “open winter”—meaning the severe weather had relented often enough on weekends to grant safe passage to tourists traveling east from Seattle.» —“In the Ruins of a...
back up the truck v. phr.— «The safety of these securities caused financial firms to load upon on them (“back up the truck,” in Wall Street parlance). They were considered so safe that financial firms used borrowed funds to buy more, and...
primary v.— «Most lawmakers represent safe districts, giving them little incentive to tack to the center and work together. Indeed, many incumbents worry more about “being primaried,” as they put it, drawing a primary challenge from...
per piece manning n.— «In fire safety circles, “per piece manning” is the term for the approach that the union and mayor have endorsed in negotiations to settle a contract that expired last July. McKay explained how “per...
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water…Quiz Guy John Chaneski presents a quiz about punny taglines from famous movies. For example, which Johnny Depp film’s tagline is “His story will touch you, even though he...
vertical corpse n.— «Most of the time a photojournalist, myself included, will take the expected shots. If it is a basketball game, it is safe to assume an armpit will appear on the back of the newspaper the following publication day. If...