paper the record
v. phr.— «The flurry of formal posturing reminds me of my lazy, hazy, crazy days as a practicing lawyer. We are witnessing a “papering of the record”— by the way, the legal world needs a new phrase to incorporate the electronic means of accomplishing this feat— as “CYA” and “to supplement the record” emails are flying back and forth among the highest levels of government.» —“A Day of E-Papering the Record on Detainee Rights” by Andrew Cohen Bench Conference (Washington, D.C.) Sept. 14, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Ash in Huntsville, Alabama, wonders about the phrase all stove up, which is how his body feels after a long day’s work. It comes from the expression to stave in, meaning “to smash in,” as when something smashes in the staves of a barrel. This...
Sam in St. Charles, Illinois, says that when he mentioned a big old water tower nearby, his mother corrected him, saying the water tower wasn’t old, it was new. Can’t you use big old or big ol’ in that way? Of course you can! The...