hard figure n.— «Some might call Clappy a dummy for not taking such a high-profile part in a Hollywood movie. But you’re not supposed to call him that. The proper term is “hard figure,” those in the ventriloquism trade say. Clappy is a...
C diff n.— «We are told that 60,000 hospital patients this year will catch the superbug Clostridium difficile.…Cases of “C diff,” as it is known in the trade, have risen by 22 per cent in the past year, affecting more than...
oops paint n.— «Hirschfield’s paint store donated what is called in the trade “oops” paint—paint that customers brought back or was improperly mixed or is substandard.» —“Gang scrawls fade as mural grows” by...
spiff n.— «You’ll typically get a slight discount (three to 10 percent off the full retail price) but it won’t be as much as what you might negotiate with the dealer if you were buying directly from him, since the U. S. dealers lose out...
black-birding n.— «The settlers found it difficult to recruit workers from among the warring tribes. With this began the pernicious trade in human beings: unsuspecting people were kidnapped or lured onto visiting ships on the other...
yellow vulture n.— «Time-distance ticketing systems use multiple cameras spaced far apart on a freeway. Each car is photographed once as it enters the first section of road. Miles later a second photograph is taken that allows the...