throw red meat
v.— «Throwing red meat the other night to members of the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank, Reagan said: “I hope every member of Congress will reflect on the fact that the Sandinistas have been training, supporting and directing as well as sheltering terrorists. And, in this sense, they are trying to build a Libya on our doorstep.”» —“Linking Libya, Nicaragua—Bad History, Bad Politics” by Jack W. Germond, Jules Witcover Seattle Times (Wash.) Apr. 28, 1986. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The adjectives canine and feline refer to dogs and cats. But how does English address other groups of animals? Plus, cabin fever has been around much longer than the current pandemic. That restless, antsy, stir-crazy feeling goes back to the days...
Cat hair may be something you brush off, but cat hair is also a slang term that means “money.” In the same way, cat beer isn’t alcoholic — some people use cat beer as a joking term for “milk.” And imagine walking on a...