upcycling n.— «The final segment introduced me to a new word, “upcycling.” This is taking something that has outlived its useful life and finding a new and more important use for it. Architect David Hertz explains that a Boeing 747 when new costs...
free-casing n.— «Torack was arrested by an off-duty police officer who was working as a security guard for the scrap metal yard. Torack suggested it was an example of “free-casing.” The term borrows from the drug vernacular—freebasing—and refers to...
Hummer house n.— «I think of them as “Hummer houses” for their obnoxious size—they are surely as gaudy and embarrassing. Perhaps even more so, as vehicles are gone to the scrap heap in 10 years.» —“Letters: Stop ‘Hummer houses,’ too” by Harper...
Couric clause n.— «The provision prompted an intensive lobbying effort from businesses, especially executives in the entertainment industry and Wall Street, who feared that competitive information about their star performers would be available for...
tot lot n.— «Money is scarce and small youngsters are plentiful. By using ingenuity instead of cash, the people at Herlong set up what they call a Tot Lot. It is a playground designed and built almost entirely from scrap material.» —“New Playground...
scrapper n.— «On the streets of Kansas City, a scrapper is a person who collects scrap metal and then recycles it for cold, hard cash.» —“Copper is gold in recycling” by Steve Penn Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Kan.-Mo.) Apr. 4, 2006. (source:...