vomit comet
n.— «Toronto Transit Commission officials are pondering extending subway service to 24 hours a day according to a published report.…“I think it’s a really great idea because I know that when I go out late at night taking the “vomit comet” as we so affectionately call it. It’s not the best way to get home.”» —“24-Hour TTC Service Proposed” by CHUM-TV CityNews (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) Sept. 21, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the late 1800s, waitresses at the Harvey House chain of restaurants at railroad stops across the American West employed a cup code. One server would ask customers about their preferred beverages, then briskly arrange their cups on the table...
A magnificent new book celebrates the richness and diversity of 450 years of written and spoken English in what is now the United States. It’s called The People’s Tongue, and it’s a sumptuous collection of essays, letters, poems...