spoil n.— «One aspect of the investigation is whether Allanson received a “spoil”—racing parlance for a bookie offering over the odds.» —“CEO’s ‘Hindon’ inquiry widens” by Adrian Dunn Herald...
march out of one’s feet v. phr.— «We received a cell phone photo message from Duncan. It was a picture of his feet. Silver dollar sized blisters had formed and torn away all over both feet. Blood had soaked his socks and boots. He had, in...
check the boxes v. phr.— «In lobbying parlance, this is known as “checking the boxes”—meticulously informing powerful congressmen and senators about a transaction they might want to weigh in on down the road. Lobbyists live by...
if-by-whiskey other.— «Government officials appeared to be content with the “if-by-whiskey” message, which in political parlance is an argument that affirms both sides of an issue and agrees with whichever side the questioner...
crying call n.— «Sometimes you face a big bet on the river and you think you’re beat. But you hope you’re not, so you call, only to find out that you indeed were beat. In poker parlance, it is known as a “crying call,” and while it might...
interiorscaping n.— «She knows, from experience, that office landscaping—”interiorscaping” in industry parlance—can be liberating for the soul and, as a growing body of research suggests, healthier for mind and body...