pea shake
n.— «When multiple claims are made for one horse, the winner is decided by lot, with the clerk of scales and the track’s claiming agent as witnesses. The drawing procedure is called shaking the peas. When a horseman attempts to arrange a protected claim by have accomplices place claims, he is stacking the odds in his favor if multiple claims are made and the decision on horse ownership is made by the pea shake.» —“Four Are Suspended For ‘Protected Claim’” by Don Lee Omaha World-Herald (Nebraska) Aug. 24, 1983. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Sponsored in part by:
Kids Are Asking (episode #1523) 04/11/2019: Questions from young listeners and conversations about everything from shifting slang to a bizarre cooking technique. Kids ask about how to talk about finding information... [more]
Strawberry Moon (episode #1522) 04/08/2019: We asked for your thoughts about whether cursive writing should be taught in schools — and many of you replied with a resounding "Yes!" You... [more]
Spill the Tea (episode #1521) 03/25/2019: If someone urges you to spill the tea, they probably don't want you tipping over a hot beverage. Originally, the tea here was the letter... [more]
Dirty Laundry (#episode 1520) 03/11/2019: When you had sleepovers as a child, what did you call the makeshift beds you made on the floor? In some places, you call those... [more]
Keep Your Powder Dry (episode #1519) 02/25/2019: Jacuzzi and silhouette are eponyms — that is, they derive from the names of people. An Italian immigrant to California invented the bubbly hot tub... [more]
You must log in to post a comment.