flake n. a (packed, firm, or cohesive) portion of animal fodder such as hay or straw, smaller than a bale and larger than a handful. Editorial Note: The size of a flake is not fixed, as you can see in the citations where it is variously explained as...
soda straw effect n.— «One of the great difficulties of assessing the war is overcoming what some officers call the “soda straw effect,” i.e., having a constricted view during travels but thinking that what you’re seeing...
permie n.— «Permaculturists—they call themselves “permies”—had converged on Merritt from as far away as Texas and Missouri.…Permaculture is clearly more than a style of gardening for these folks; it’s a way of life...
scarecrow n.— «The NYPD is using unmanned police cars on major highways as a deterrent to speeders, the Daily News has learned. The vacant vehicles—derisively referred to as scarecrows by some cops—were blasted by the city’s police union...
reef v.— «Babe Zaharias is a dark brown filly with a pauper’s life-time earnings. She stood in box No.76 reefing at the leads that held her head up and away from the straw.» —“Bold Ha Ha fails champion test” by Patrick...
truth window n.— «A truth window is a common thing that’s built into these rice straw buildings, because actually when they are covered with stucco it’s very difficult to tell, other than the very sort of soft look that the building has...
