bolívar fuerte n.— «First, Mr. Chávez said the authorities would remove three zeroes from the denomination of the currency, the bolívar. Then he said the new bolívar, worth 1,000 old bolívars, would be renamed the “bolívar fuerte,” or...
ghosted adj.— «The marshals got to the ground floor, where the fire had been hottest and raged the longest. Every step of the stairwell and each railing and inch of banister was alligatored. Parts of the wall were “ghosted,” fire parlance...
hundred-mile-an-hour tape n. a narrow roll of strong plastic, acrylic, or woven fiber backed with a strong adhesive; duct tape. Also two-hundred-mile-an-hour tape. Editorial Note: Duct tape is just one kind of adhesive tape that is called...
skybust v. to shoot at flying game birds that are too high or out of range. Editorial Note: The 1943 citation is an unrelated usage from baseball, referring to home runs or strong hits, which in the past have sometimes been called “sky-busters...
pantload n.— «He’s been abusing them with names like “fat pantload.”» —“Radio rabble-rouser stirs strong passions” by Jon Lender Hartford Courant (Connecticut) May 23, 1993. (source: Double...
bamboo kun n.— «When the bamboo is pulped and treated, it produces strands that are nearly as strong as steel. A natural agent called “bamboo kun” prevents the growth of bacteria on the fiber, eliminating the need for anti-microbial...