sweater on the rail n.— «Hustling doesn’t merely involve the players at the table. There was a rogue’s gallery of “stakehorses” (financial backers), “sweaters on the rail” (side bettors) and “nits” (kibitzers). As the gambling spigot has...
strike off wastage n.— «It could also be expected that one or two aircraft will be routinely lost per 10,000 flying hours, due to what is termed “strike off wastage,” or accidents, in common parlance. The total bill therefore...
he-vage n.— «The question is: how much of his chest—or “he-vage”—should a man reveal when he’s wearing a shirt?» —“How much he-vage should a man show?” by Ursula Hirschkorn Daily Mail (United...
hiving n.— «Are you concentrating on plants that include new church buildings or plants that involve cell groups meeting in places such as homes and coffee shops? Sunset has opted for the more traditional model. This is what is called...
tape bomb n.— «Wall Street traders like to call unexpected news events “tape bombs.” The terminology presumably dates back to the days when the physical flow of ticker tape delivered the latest ups and downs of stock price...
sit dead red v. phr.— «The ball sailed into the night, slamming into the facade on the second deck in left field. It fell straight down and was grabbed by a 33-year-old plumber from the San Diego area. In baseball terminology, he was...