take a haircut
v. phr.— «D’Amico “did one dastardly deed, and now he is missing in action and won’t talk to anybody,” the major-label financial executive says. “There hasn’t even been an ‘ask’ yet.” By that, he means Tower has not requested an extension to make payments or for suppliers to “take a haircut”—music-industry parlance for partially forgiving money owed.» —“Tower Headed For Chapter 11″ by Ed Christman Book Standard Aug. 11, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Have you ever googled your own name and found someone else who goes by the very same moniker? There’s a word for that: googleganger. Plus, the language of hobbyists and enthusiasts: If you’re a beekeeper, perhaps you call yourself a...
A hundred years ago, suffragists lobbied to win women the right to vote. Linguistically speaking, though, suffrage isn’t about “suffering.” It’s from a Latin word that involves voting. Plus: military cadences often include...