litterbutt n.— «Some folks who are especially annoyed by “litterbutts”—the term for smokers who flick their tobacco—have programmed the hotline number into their cell phones.» —“Bid to drive home litter message catches...
eff off loop n.— «A recorded message announced “Thank you for calling the European Commission in London. For assistance, please press ‘1’ on your telephone keypad now.” This led to a new message: “Extension 1 is invalid...
robo call n.— «In the city, an automated message from Mayor Martin O’Malley—a “robo call,” his office termed it—alerted seniors to their options regarding relief from the heat.» —“Nation in grip of record hot...
drawbreak n.— «Buddy hands me his lotto numbers, I try to run them through the machine knowing full well that it’s too late. The machine beeps and gives me the message “Rejected by Central, Drawbreak” I shake my head in mock...
wear one v. phr.— «From Day One, you are taught how to send a message to the other team. You work on the beanball.…It’s totally barbaric, and it’s hard to explain, but it is crucial for your hitters to know that you will protect...
dog whistle issue n.— «The message from the Howard Government in its early days was that Australia was not part of Asia and never would be. To a considerable degree, it was part of a dog-whistle campaign by the Coalition. At a time when...