wire brush treatment
n.— «His “snowflake memos” are notorious within the Pentagon, as is his combative style of debating and discussing issues. Civilians and military personnel refer to it as getting “the wire brush treatment.”» —“Rumsfeld Staying Put” by Tom Bevan Yahoo! News Apr. 19, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A hundred years ago, suffragists lobbied to win women the right to vote. Linguistically speaking, though, suffrage isn’t about “suffering.” It’s from a Latin word that involves voting. Plus: military cadences often include...
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...