wire brush treatment
n.— «His “snowflake memos” are notorious within the Pentagon, as is his combative style of debating and discussing issues. Civilians and military personnel refer to it as getting “the wire brush treatment.”» —“Rumsfeld Staying Put” by Tom Bevan Yahoo! News Apr. 19, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
For rock climbers, skiers, and other outdoor enthusiasts, the word send has taken on a whole new meaning. You might cheer on a fellow snowboarder with Send it, bro! — and being sendy is a really great thing. Plus: a nostalgic trip to Willa...
Loretta in Shreveport, Louisiana, wants to know what lexical and dialectal clues linguists look for when guessing where someone is from. She also wonders: Do people with long careers in the military or who grew up in a military family have a...