whisky plank
n.— «There is, fortunately, a ritual that differs from this wasteful ceremony that is known as the placing of the whisky plank. When the last plank is in place on the hull of a ship which is being built, work is stopped briefly and all hands are poured a tot of whisky to celebrate.» —“Ebb and Flow” by Walter Muhonen Los Angeles Times May 1, 1960. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In 1916, a small-town newspaper in Pennsylvania printed a fanciful item about a local gathering with a guest list that included, among others, Miss Ella Vader, Mr. Ray Zor, and other punny names. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Colin from Los Angeles, California, is pondering the expression make no bones about it, which suggests the speaker is talking or acting with no hesitation whatsoever. The saying is inspired by the idea of literally finding bones in one’s food, since...