surface snorting
n.— «Scores of Sydneysiders woke to the sight of thick white smoke coming from a Collins-class submarine off Sydney’s northern beaches this morning, but their fears of a fire were unfounded—it was just the ageing sub’s batteries recharging.…A Defence Department spokeswoman said the smoke was not the result of a fire or terrorist attack, but a standard procedure called surface snorting. “Surface snorting is a standard operation.”» —“Snort what they thought it was” by Paul Bibby Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Jan. 25, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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...
In Korea, fairy tales often begin with the saying In the old days, when tigers used to smoke. Turkish children often hear an opening like this one: Once there was, once there was not, when camels were town criers and fleas were barbers, when I...