pooled spray
n.— Note: Describes the same event as this citation for spray. «Mr Obama’s team, however, said that there never had been plans for anything but only a pooled spray, in which a handful of journalists pose questions in a more informal setting. The British Embassy sought to bridge the linguistic divide by referring to a “press availability.” Downing Street insisted that it was still a “press conference,” although one official added the caveat that “the new Administration has its own way of doing things.”» —“Gordon Brown and Barack Obama at ease after a little linguistic difference” by Tom Baldwin Times (London, England) Mar. 4, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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...
“What has a head like a cat, feet like a cat, a tail like a cat, but isn’t a cat?” Answer: a kitten! A 1948 children’s joke book has lots of these to share with kids. Plus: an easy explanation for the difference between...