summer melt
n.— «Bryant said that, typically, some students change their minds during the summer. However, he said, he is confident that the university will not lose significant numbers to what he calls “summer melt.”» —“SMU Expects Entering Fall Class To Be ’86 Size” by Connie Pryzant Dallas Morning News (Texas) June 25, 1987. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Brian in San Antonio, Texas, wonders about the origin of the pinkingin the term pinking shears. Such shears cut an even, zigzag pattern that keeps cloth from fraying at the edges. Pinking likely comes from French piquer, meaning to...
Language from inside a monastery. A Benedictine monk shares terms from his world: For example, corporate prayer refers to praying as a group, not urging shares to return dividends. And did you know there’s a term of art for those annoying add...