whippy

whippy
 n.— «The system is broken, Donelon said, adding that he sees the evidence daily in the mounting number of “whippys”—defense attorney slang for whiplash claims, so common that they are paid out at a standard rate, even though the medical experts cannot vouch that anything is really wrong.» —“Foster’s Goal Is No-Fault Insurance Detractors Say It Won’t Cut Costs” by Christopher Cooper New Orleans Times-Picayune (Lousiana) Nov. 17, 1996. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

Join the discussion

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Further reading

Alligator Mouth (episode #1620)

Kinbank is a new database that illustrates the global diversity of family terms. English, for example, specifies sibling relationships with just one of two terms: sister or brother. But most other languages have even more specific terms. In...

High Jinks (episode #1619)

For many people, religion provides language and rituals for key milestones in life, from births to weddings to funerals. But what if you don’t ascribe to any particular religion? What words do you use to mark those moments? An uplifting new...

Recent posts