tin medal
n.— «Narelle placed fourth in 12.92 seconds, a whisker behind third-paced Queenslander Jessie Schellein (12.91) in the girls’ under-17 100m final. Whether the proverbial “tin medal” was a disappointment or an achievement depends on your point of view—the O’Loughlin College athlete was bedridden for most of the championships with the flu.» —“Oh so close to sprint bronze” by Chris Carter Northern Territory News (Darwin, Australia) Dec. 13, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Juice in Genoa, New York, remembers her mother used to say I am so mad I could spit nickels. It’s one of several variations on the idea of being angry enough to spit, period, or to spit something specific, such as spit tacks, spit nails, spit rust...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski’s puzzle is about common bonds that connect three things. For example, what’s the one word that links the following trio of terms? A report card, USDA inspected beef, and an incline. This is part of a complete episode...