Join two wayward radio hosts on A Way With Words, the call-in radio show about writing, speaking, slang, old sayings, and more.
Catchword for “dead man’s switch”
Catchword: dead man’s switch
Filed Under: ,
Part of Speech: n.
The part of speech reflects that used in the full entry, and not necessarily the part of speech as it is used in the quotation below.
Quotation: This pyrotechnic crew won’t be sitting around, though, until the “dead man’s switch,” as it is called, is clicked to start the show. Until then, they’re moving boxes, cutting tape and sorting through thousands of fireworks.
Article or Document Title:
“Behind-the-Scenes with Pyrotechnics” (URL)
Author:
Britney Glaser
Article, Document, Publication, Web Site:
KPLC-TV
Publishing Location:
Lake Charles, Lousiana
Date of Publication:
July 4, 2007
This cite belongs to a full entry for dead man’s switch.
Posted 5 Jul 07 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Leave a comment, which must be approved by the moderator before it will appear. Courtesy matters!

Keep in mind that we're interested in terms that are not well-covered in mainstream dictionaries, or not covered at all. A mass of unexamined Google hits counts for nothing, but an early use of the term you've found in a book or periodical is very useful. A term does not have to be new to be recorded here, it merely needs to be worthy of more attention.
Name (mandatory):

Email (mandatory):

Location (optional):

Your Web Site (optional):

Remember my personal information

Notify me, by email, of follow-up comments.

Recent Catchwords
mill and fill n. (7/3)
snake run n. (7/2)
hurricane amnesia n. (7/2)
dollar-a-year man n. (7/2)
tranny n. (7/1)
secular adj. (6/30)
commuter trip n. (6/30)
wendy v. (6/30)
double-dekker n. (6/30)
gas-sipper n. (6/29)
nuke the fridge v. phr. (6/29)
mannyhose n. (6/29)
run one’s pockets v. phr. (6/29)
gay-lister n. (6/29)
cross-shopping n. (6/29)
weird stacking n. (6/29)
block busting n. (6/27)
beek n. (6/27)
sweatbox n. (6/26)
bump-out n. (6/26)
 More catchwords...
Lexicographer's Rules
A hearty endorsement of shout quotes: scare quotes used for emphasis (5/14)
How to buy a dictionary (4/29)
Jinx and padiddle: games we play (4/16)
Saying it wrong on purpose (4/1)
Nicknames from the Underground: Busharraf, Chillary, and Killadelphia (3/19)
New slang unpacked (3/4)
UPDATED: Crosswords in Black and White (3/3)
Find me in American Way Magazine (3/3)
Recent catchwords: read-alike, violin hickey, throw a Porsche at someone, Q-tip cruise, 1-800 car (2/28)
The Tell-All of the Century: Snitching Slang (2/19)
 More blog entries...
Find A Word  »
 A   B   C   D   E 
 F   G   H   I   J 
 K   L   M   N   O 
 P   Q   R   S   T 
 U   V   W   X   Y 
 Z   0-9 
Search
Search Site

Google Site Search
Recent searches: blow up…
New Comments
Debra Ellick commented on hurricane amnesia (7/3)
tina commented on tranny (7/3)
Grant Barrett commented on tranny (7/3)
Tina commented on tranny (7/2)
Ben Zimmer commented on secular (7/1)
Alice Macpherson commented on sad (7/1)
Kerri-ann commented on candy flipping (7/1)
Rich Overton commented on smitty (6/30)
Prozacville.co.uk commented on Ja well no fine (6/30)
jim commented on robotripping (6/30)
JIm commented on robotripping (6/29)
Charles Miller commented on robotripping (6/29)
JIM commented on robotripping (6/28)
Ben Zimmer commented on block busting (6/28)
Larisa Gall commented on pencil plane (6/26)
Subscribe to the RSS feed. • Subscribe to the mailing list. • Browse the archive. • Add to Technorati Favorites. • © 1999-2008 by Grant Barrett, Double-Tongued Dictionary, New York City.