tote the note
v. phr.— «Fred Smith, founder and chief executive officer of Memphis-based Federal Express, is the name that comes to everyone’s lips when asked what advantage the city has in the race for an NFL expansion team. “Fred has said, ’I’ll tote the note,’” Cooley says. Frankly, I don’t think anyone in Jacksonville has that kind of whip-out.”» —“Bypassed Since the ‘70s, Memphis Wants Franchise More Than Ever” by Raad Cawthon Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia) July 26, 1989. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Mary Lou is a former newspaper reporter in Memphis, Tennessee. One of her editors used to say he was off to the salt mines, meaning he was headed to do some challenging work. That expression is a reference to the grim practice of sending prisoners...
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering with ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to hello! A fascinating new book about...