fill in the tree
v. phr.— «GOP leaders may be forced to “fill the tree,” a procedural process by which they would offer a series of their own amendments in order to deny a vote on the Democratic minimum wage amendment.» —“Kennedy Vows Minimum Wage Senate Floor Effort Today” Congress Daily/A.M. June 25, 1996. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Ribbon fall. Gallery forest. You won’t find terms like these in most dictionaries, but they and hundreds like them are discussed by famous writers in the book Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape. The book is an intriguing collection...
We have books for language-lovers and recommendations for history buffs. • How did the word boondoggle come to denote a wasteful project? The answer involves the Boy Scouts, a baby, a craft project, and a city council meeting. • Instead of reversing...