over-lay sleeping
n.— «The Joplin woman awaits a preliminary hearing on involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with the Aug. 8 death of 4-month-old Ashton Jones. Prosecutors say Jessica Jones rolled over on the infant in her sleep while high on drugs. In 2006, Jones also suffocated her 3-month-old infant while sleeping, but no charges were filed. The phenomenon is sometimes called “over-lay sleeping.”» —“‘Over-lay sleeping’ kills infants” by Kathleen O’Dell News-Leader (Springfield, Missouri) Feb. 20, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
After our conversation about nighttime wakefulness, a Sacramento, California, woman shares the funny story behind the term she and her husband use for that phenomenon: squeegee. This is part of a complete episode.
Related
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...