useless canister
n.— «King of Foxrock was third in a maiden hurdle, Alcapone second in a conditions chase, Skibb third in a beginners’ chase and Gimli’s Axe 14th in a novice hurdle. A battle Axe, it was not. In a vernacular unique to the area an animal like that might be described as a “useless canister” or a “scrubbing brush”; for its jockey, it can be a ticket to casualty and if there is one time in the entire year when you do not want to take a fall it is now.» —“Geraghty polishes his Moscow jewel” by Tom English Scotsman (Glasgow, Scotland) Mar. 13, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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...
There are eight major planets, but more than a million minor ones, including asteroids. If you discover one, you get the honor of naming it. The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names includes minor planets named for rock bands, jazz musicians, poets, and...