taper
n.— «I wanted to come back here and start my “taper,” because I particularly like how my mother “tapers” me.…After beating yourself up in the water, you need to get rid of all of the lactic acid and stuff that has built up in your system for the last six months or year.» —“Swimmers make big splash in Texas” by Colin O’Connor Royal Gazette (Bermuda) July 17, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Mick in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, shares that a co-worker from Texas used to advise him when lifting heavy objects to heave carefully because You don’t want to strain your milk. The origin of this expression is uncertain, although it may...
When you had sleepovers as a child, what did you call the makeshift beds you made on the floor? In some places, you call those bedclothes and blankets a pallet. This word comes from an old term for “straw.” And: What’s the story...