yard sale
n.— «I responded to her praise with a “face plant” and “yard sale”—falling flat while my skis and poles went in four directions. It might have hurt if we both hadn’t been laughing so hard.» —“A Turn For The Better After A Year Off The Slopes, A Skier Bravely Undergoes Six Days Of Basic Training” by Bob MacDonald Boston Globe Jan. 31, 1988. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say...
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...