whale n. a large man-made snow mound. Editorial Note: Usually resulting from a commercial snow-grooming machinery typical of a ski resort. Etymological Note: So-called because of their large, round shape and perhaps influenced by “whale” meaning “a large or significant example of a particular thing,” as in “I have a whale of a headache.” (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A newscaster covering treacherous driving conditions offered this advice: Keep it between the mustard and the mayo. In other words, “Make sure your car stays between the yellow line and the white line on the road.” This is part of a complete episode...
Amy from Charlotte, North Carolina, reports a dispute arose when visiting her brother’s family. Is a large container for storing sugar properly called a can or a canister? The answer involves prototype theory, which in cognitive linguistics and...
I would imagine that the snow color helping the mound look like a great white whale (Moby Dick) has something to do with it too.