turf-cutting n.— «“Using a technique called “turf-cutting’ we went into Valdosta and mapped 50 to 60 houses for our canvassers to go to,” Burrell said. “We have street addresses of voters who voted Democrat in previous...
torch party n.— «Some of the soldiers were returning for graduations and births of their children, Auer said, but a number of them are part of what’s known as a “torch party.” A torch party clears the way for a larger advance...
rubber room n.— «Once, Watson boasted that he played golf in his own private “rubber room:” a state of concentration and confidence so deep that the perils of the course and his own psyche could not reach him.» —“Slumping...
two-and-barbecue other.— «There’s no shortage of explanations for the ACC’s 51-year drought. Of the league’s 25 qualifiers, only seven have won at least two games in the tournament, equaling the number of league teams heading home after...
raincoat crowd n.— «One thing that distinguishes couples films from those made for “the raincoat crowd,” as Mr. Fishbein put it, is more plot, more characterization and thus more motivation for sex.» —“X-Rated ‘Couples...
blue canary n.— «Altschul said that the first responders to any terrorist attack would likely be police or firefighters. Like the canaries once used by miners to detect poisonous methane gas, the “blue canaries,” as police and...