tummy rubbing
n.— «One top Port of Seattle consultant and construction contractor had their own shorthand—”tummy rubbing”—for informally negotiating how much the port should pay for unexpected work at the airport, a recent state audit found.» —“Chummy culture at port costs taxpayers” by Jennifer Langston Post-Intelligencer (Seattle) Mar. 2, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Old. Elderly. Senior. Why are we so uncomfortable when we talk about reaching a certain point in life? An 82-year-old seeks a more positive term to describe how she feels about her age. And: a linguist helps solve a famous kidnapping case, using the...
Tracy in Beaufort, North Carolina, says her grandmother, aunts, and uncles used to try to calm down an upset or bossy person with Well, don’t get astorperious! You might debubiate! In the work of Zora Neale Hurston and in Harlem Renaissance...