In baseball, “all wood, no leather” means a player bats well, but can’t hit. In movies and television, “day for night” means a night scene actually shot in daylight through filters. Among crossword puzzlers, a “dirty double-crosser” is the intersection of two tough words.
Many professions and hobbies have their own special vernaculars. Following are excerpts from “Idiom Savant,” the world’s first book to be largely researched “live” on the Internet (according to author Jerry Dunn). Learn these little languages and you’ll sound like a veteran.
Medical workers
bungee jumper n.–a patient who pulls on his catheter tube.
donorcycle n.–a motorcycle. An emergency room term recognizing that many people in serious motorcycle accidents become organ donors. “Here comes another donorcycle victim.”
gone camping adj.–in an oxygen tent.
horrendoplasty n.–someone who has been returned to the operating room for one procedure after another, in order to correct complications.
microdeckia adj.–mentally off, loony, “not playing with a full deck” in pseudo-Latin: “micro” (small) and “deck” (of cards).
organ recital n.–the medical history of a hypochondriac.
waiting for the train to Chicago v.–close to death, in spite of the best medical efforts. “He has his bags packed and is waiting for the train to Chicago, but I’ll hold his hand while he waits.” Syn.: waiting for the bus.
walkie-talkie n.–a patient who is able to get out of bed, walk around by himself and speak coherently.
Newspaper reporters and photographers
banner n.–a headline stretching across the page.
dingbat n.–a typographical ornament or symbol.
dummies n.–mock-ups of pages before they are actually produced.
hot corner n.–the lower right corner of page one in USA Today, which regularly has an attention-grabbing color photo.
nut graf n.–a paragraph that explains a story’s wider significance. It usually falls within the first five paragraphs.
perp walk n.–a photo taken as police walk a criminal from place to place.
piece n.–a news or feature article. “Did you read the piece on diet scams?
Tabloid reporters and editors
bombshell n.–a story or revelation with major impact. “What’s this week’s bombshell ?” “Roseanne is having a baby.”
infanticipating adj.–expecting a baby. A term used in headlines.inhuman-interest story n.–a story about aliens from outer space.
Hey, Martha n.–the kind of story that will be talked about across the country. “Hey, Martha, did you read that story about Elvis’ alien love child in the Enquirer?”
take a flier v.–to publish a story without a believable source or solid evidence. “That story on Demi’s boob job? I took a flier.”
trained seal n.–a questionable expert paid to substantiate a flaky story. “OK, we’re going with the ‘Eat More Donuts and Raise Your I.Q.’ piece. Get me a comment from the trained seal.”
Dentists
flipper n.–a temporary denture replacing the upper front teeth. Often worn by hockey players. “The Detroit forward just got a flipper.”
four-on-the-floor ortho n.–the outdated technique of removing four bicuspids to make room before putting in braces.
slappin’ plastic v.–placing tooth-colored composite fillings. “I’m worn out!” cried Dr. Bloomquist. “I spent the whole afternoon slappin’ plastic .”
spin the tooth down v.–to reduce the tooth for capping with a crown.
Lawyers
hallway hero n.–a prosecutor who tells exaggerated tales of his brilliant maneuvers in the courtroom.
Mr. Green n.–cash payment of a lawyer’s fee or retainer. “There’s a witness missing, your Honor. I’m waiting for Mr. Green to appear.” Translation: The lawyer isn’t ready to try the case because the client hasn’t paid yet.
pound the table v.–part of a litigator’s maxim: “When the facts are on your side, pound the facts. When the law is on your side, pound the law. When neither are on your side, pound the table.”
treasure maps n.–records used by a divorce lawyer to locate a spouse’s assets (bank accounts, tax returns, financial statements, business ledgers, etc.)
wet reckless n.–a charge of “reckless driving, alcohol related”;a reduction from the more serious charge of drunken driving.
Pilots
bottom feeders n.–small, low-powered, piston-engine airplanes that usually fly at low altitudesi.e., at the bottom of the atmosphere.
chop and drop n.a quick descent.
cob it v.–to slam the throttle forward to full power in order to get out of trouble.
crow hopper n.–a landing, usually too fast, in which the plane does ever-diminishing bounces as it loses speed.
cumulo-granite n.–clouds that obscure tall mountains. Flying into this type of cloud is usually fatal.
doing a tap dance v.–landing in gusty crosswinds that require many corrections with the rudder, so the pilot must repeatedly kick the pedals.
scud running v.–flying very low to avoid clouds, or flying in a valley when hilltops are obscured by clouds. “Be careful about scud running; it often results in encounters with cumulo-granite.”
vampires n.–crews who fly from sunset to sunrise.
Air traffic controllers
bird cage n.–the controlled air traffic space near an airport.
shoot v.–to send aircraft from runways. “This morning we’re shooting them from runway 22 right.
“swinging tin v.–doing a superb job guiding aircraft (tin) through heavy traffic. “What a day! I was really swinging tin.”
tight adj.–edicted to pass close enough eventually to require intervention by Air Traffic Control. “Heads-up. I have a Delta that’s tight with your Canadian. I’ll slow mine down now, so you don’t have to vector.”
snitch patch n.–An automatic alarm set off by the controller’s terminal when two aircraft get closer together than the prescribed safe distance. “Whose snitch patch just went off?”
Fashion industry people
ditzy print n.–a print with small flowers. “Jumpers in a ditzy print are really big with the preteens this season.”
drop n.–the difference between the chest measurement of a suit coat and the waist measurement of the accompanying trousers. A size 40 regular suit carries size 34 trousers, and thus has a 6-inch drop.
the girls n.–the upper echelon of models.
scye n.–the hole in the shoulder of a coat where the sleeve is attached.
Firefighters
build a parking lot. n.–To fight a blaze that nonetheless razes the entire building. “We went and built a parking lot downtown.”
nauger n.–a chief officer who spends his time sitting around in a Naugahyde chair or recliner, and in case of fire comes out and tells the firefighters how to do their jobs.
roof rat n.–a firefighter who likes to climb ladders to the upper stories of buildings.
staff infection n.–when a firefighter is shifted from a platoon-style work schedule to a staff assignment and a five-day work week.
Wall Streeters
alligator spread n.– facetious term for a situation in which the broker’s commissions gobble more than the client can possibly earn in profits on a transaction.
bottom fishing n.–seeking cheap stocks that haven’t performed well lately but may go up.
greenmail n.–a kind of financial blackmail in whicha corporate raider threatens management with continued attacks unless the company buys out his stock at a premium.
quack n.–a stock price change of a quarter point. “GE’s down a quack.”
white knight n.–a friendly buyer aiming to outbid a corporate raider and fend off a hostile takeover.
Real estate agents
choke point n.–the level of mortgage interest rates that drives buyers away from the market.
monkey n.–mortgage.
upside down adj.–a homeowner’s situation when his outstanding loan balance is greater than the market value of his house, because of falling prices in the real estate market. “They’re upside down on the duplex, since they bought at the peak.”
Auctioneers
boat anchor n.–a joking reference to a clunky item that draws few bids. “Folks, not only can you do laundry in this old washing machine; it also makes a lovely boat anchor.”
salting n.–an auctioneer’s practice of placing a good item into a box lot, thus inducing people to bid on what is basically a bunch of rubbish. Also, when people at a pre-auction exhibition transfer items they’d like to bid on from one box lot to another.
run-up n.–causing a bidder to spend more than he planned by bidding against him fairly or unfairly through the use of shills, fake absentee bids and other subterfuges.
shill n.–an employee of the auction house who improperly sits in the crowd and bids against legitimate bidders, thereby raising prices. Syn.: puffer.
Truckers
bear n.– a county or state cop. “Got a bear in the chicken coop at the 39 yardstick (a mile marker alongside a highway).”
bear in the air n.–a police airplane that monitors highway speeds.
bedbuggers n.–household moving companies.
chicken coop n.–a weigh station.
gumball machine n.–lights on top of a police cruiser. “He’s got his gumball machine going.”
Kojak with a Kodak n.–a police officer with a radar gun. “You got a Kojak with a Kodak behind the overpass.”
thermos bottle n.–a tanker trailer. Syns.: pipeline, portable gas station.
Car salesmen
bushing n.–the deceptive practice of raising a car’s price after the customer signs a sales contract. A common scenario is that the sales manager refuses to allow the high trade-in allowance promised to the customer, which makes the cost go up.
gold ball n.–a top credit rating, or a buyer who has one.
jack n.–a person who goes out looking at cars as a recreation, without intending to buy.
pack v.–to add various costsfinance charges, dealer preparation, document feesto the base.
Waiters and waitresses
Adam and Eve on a raft n.–two eggs on toast. A term from diners.
fluff and fold v. –to handle with care. Can refer to either a regular patron or a difficult diner.
slammed adj.–burdened by having many tables in your section filled at once. “It was only 6 o’clock, and I was already slammed.”
Theater people
Break a leg! exp.–Good luck! Derived from Shakespearean times when a troupe of actors who got an ovation at the end of a play would bend (break) a leg and go down on one knee. Thus,the expression wishes an actor an ovation. Over time the phrase became a means for superstitious theater people to avoid bringing bad luck by overtly wishing him good luck.
hum-heads n.–theater soundmen. Syn.: noise boys.
Motion picture people
buck n.–$100,000, in Hollywoodese. “My client will do the picture for five bucks .”
golden retrievers n.–savvy studio executives.
hummer n.–a film score composer who hums a melodic theme and then assigns ghostwriters to orchestrate and develop it, rarely with credit.
Salvador n.–a camera dolly. A play on the name of painter Salvador Dali. “Bring in Salvador for this shot.”
