vomit comet
n.— «A San Juan travel agent indelicately calls it the “vomit comet”—an allusion, I imagine, to the great number of babes in arms or inexperienced travelers aboard the planes. It was therefore with some misgiving that I booked a seat on the midnight economy flight from New York to San Juan.» —“All Aboard for the ‘Cattle Car’ ” by Victor Perera New York Times Jan. 24, 1971. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
If you speak a second or third language, you may remember the first time you dreamed in that new tongue. But does this milestone mean you’re actually fluent? And a couple’s dispute over the word regret: Say you wish you’d been able...
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece of legislation. Plus, the language of yoga teachers: When doing a guided meditation, you may hear...