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
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 you speak both German and Spanish, you may find yourself reaching for a German word instead of a Spanish one, and vice versa. This puzzling experience is so common among polyglots that linguists have a name for it. • The best writers create...