welcome stranger
n.— «The lawsuit charges that through three reassessments, the former town assessor, Kathlyn Stanley, illegally raised her taxes to a level far above that of similar properties. It also charges that the town retaliated against her for challenging assessments. The suit says the town engaged in a practice sometimes called “welcome stranger” or “welcome improver,” targeting homes with new owners or that have been improved while leaving the assessments of similar homes unchanged.» —“North Salem woman whose assessment skyrocketed sues in federal court” by Elizabeth Ganga Journal News (West Harrison, New York) Dec. 21, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
If you take up texting and social media late in life, there’s a lot to learn! A twenty-something wants advice getting her dad up to speed on memes, Instagram, and animated images. Plus, when you’re on a long road trip, what do you call...
Ever wonder what medieval England looked and sounded like? In Old English, the word hord meant “treasure” and your wordhord was the treasure of words locked up inside you. A delightful new book uses the language of that period to create...