A flashlight doesn’t flash. It provides a steady beam of light. So why is it called a flashlight? The earliest versions lit up only briefly before the batteries gave out and required a recharge, so they were literally “flash lights...
pee stick n.—Gloss: A long, thin device on which a woman urinates in order to determine if she is pregnant. Note: Common but as far as can be told unrecorded in dictionaries. «Does the newly designed 2010 Olympic torch look like a joint...
human flesh search engine n.— «In the wake of the violence that has rocked Tibet and the protests over the Olympic torch relay, online bulletin boards in China have erupted with virulent comments rooted in nationalist sentiments. On some...
hot work n.— «The January 2006 explosion at the Bethune Point Wastewater Treatment Plant might not have happened if the city had a safety program specifying when “hot work,” using flames such as welding or torch cutting, could...
torch party n. a military team sent ahead of a larger advance party. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
torch party n.— «The “torch party,” an advance crew that departs early to set up camp, was the lead element going to the Middle East, said Dusty Shenofsky, spokeswoman for the Louisiana National Guard.…“They were from a...