tank
n.— «By Thursday, when the president met for the first time with the Joint Chiefs of Staff in “the tank,” the secure Pentagon conference room, the campaign had progressed.» —“After Campaign Push, Obama Cultivates Military” by Elisabeth Bumiller in Washington, D.C. New York Times January 30, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Although some people assume that bumbershoot is a Briticism for “umbrella,” this term actually originated in the U.S. It’s likely a combination of umbrella and parachute. A parachute, like an umbrella, is a canopy of silk or silk-like material. This...
In our earlier conversation about the term clam, which musicians use to refer to a “missed note” or “musical mistake,” Martha misspoke and said a similar term was used in rowing and sculling. Actually, as many listeners pointed out, that term is...