terror-clown
n.— «The car bombs—one parked outside a London nightclub, one near Trafalgar Square and one driven into Glasgow airport—seemed especially incompetent. Lewis Page, a former bomb-disposal officer, suspects the patio-gas canisters crammed into the three vehicles would not have made much of a bang even if they had gone off. The “terror-clowns,” as he calls them, had their second London car bomb towed away by parking wardens; the driver of the Glasgow jeep doused himself in petrol only to be put out again by the fire brigade.» —“Three times lucky” Economist July 5, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
There was a time when William Shakespeare was just another little seven-year-old in school. Classes in his day were demanding — and all in Latin. A new book argues that this rigorous curriculum actually nurtured the creativity that later flourished...
John in Omaha, Nebraska, wonders about a phrase that encourages someone to attend an event or risk being left out or feeling uncool: be there or be square. Don’t fall for the fake etymology about people wearing boxes on their heads! Ditto for...