take a zero
v. phr.— «I have come in from the AT for two nights to hit the post office, the store, the laundromat and get a shower. Everyone in town is very understanding, want to know how long you’re out for, are you having fun out there? how are the animals… and I’m taking a whole day to do it, staying at the hostel near town. I’m doing what the thru-hikers call “taking a zero,” meaning that they haven’t made any miles on the trail at all that day.» —“Having fun out there” by Rodent RealTravel June 13, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
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...