carpet-crossing
n.— «During the First Republic when the Northern People’s Congress (NPC), National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) and the Action Group (AG) were the dominant political parties, indiscipline among politicians took various forms including working against the overall interest of one’s party and dumping it for another after an election. This decampment, was also known as “carpet crossing” while such anti-party activities were usually visited with stiff penalties.» —“Why Indiscipline Thrives in Parties” by Thomas Imonikhe Daily Champion (Lagos, Nigeria) Aug. 16, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Book recommendations and the art of apology. Martha and Grant share some good reads, including an opinionated romp through English grammar, a Spanish-language adventure novel, an account of 19th-century dictionary wars, and a gorgeously illustrated...
If someone urges you to spill the tea, they probably don’t want you tipping over a hot beverage. Originally, the tea here was the letter T, as in “truth.” To spill the T means to “pass along truthful information.” Plus...