paper airplane
n.— «The Secretary of the Air Force, Verne Orr, has asserted that the Stealth plane, which Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger is seriously considering as the nation’s next long-range bomber, is “a paper airplane” that is far from development.» —“Air Force Chief Calls The Stealth A ‘Paper Plane’ Far From Reality” by Richard Halloran New York Times July 23, 1981. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Carl in Sebastopol, California, was reminded of his childhood on New York’s Lower East Side while ready Harry Golden’s book For 2 Cents Plain (Amazon), the title referring to how customers ordered a plain glass of seltzer. For a little...
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...