plankowner n.— «All three were members of the commissioning crew—“plankowners,” in Navy parlance—who worked together on the ship’s surface-to-air missile systems.» —“Former crew members take part in Kitty Hawk’s final...
silent key n.— «Was a licensed amateur (ham) radio with the call sign KA6HVA. When he passed away, he became, in ham radio parlance, a “silent key.”» —“Biography for Burl Ives” The Internet Movie...
punt ugly n.— «In LSU football parlance, the formation with three upbacks between punter and deep snapper is called the shield formation. Tigers fans call it “punt ugly,” a name that Jasper takes some offense to.» —“Jasper battle for...
jacking n.— «In Japanese advertising parlance, a “jacking” occurs when an advertiser purchases a substantial portion of all of the ad space available in a particular medium or within a geographic area (the term...
rifle shot n.— «Prodded by advocacy groups on both sides of the issue, members of Congress are considering various narrowly targeted proposals—”rifle shots,” in Washington parlance—to ease or tighten the limits on legal entry...
vulture v.— «In 1959, baseball was knocked flat when Pirates reliever Elroy Face posted an 18-1 won-loss record, still perhaps the most impressive ever. But Holtzman was skeptical. He knew that many of those wins were, in today’s...