from Double-Tongued Dictionary

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wash trade n. In the natural gas case, there are examples of traders who agreed to buy the same amount of natural gas from each other in what is known as a “wash” trade, so they could report a high trade price to an industry publication whose trading reports set market prices for natural gas throughout the region. [English Business Jargon] [full cite] (Aug. 9, 2006)

wash-ashore n. The latest demand—made this month in a legal notice by San Francisco homeowners looking to sell their waterfront land for a tidy $10.75 million—has sparked what longtime Chatham resident Ned Webster calls “the big dinghy flap.” It has become more than just a controversy about dinghies and where they can and cannot be kept. Locals say it is about Chatham’s soul being eroded by newcomers with thick wallets, newcomers whom they refer to as “wash-ashores.” [English Slang] [full cite] (Mar. 3, 2008)

wash-belly n. Hyacinth “Iya” Archibald’s world was uplifted, when on September 25, 1978, her last child (in Jamaican patois called “wash-belly”) Ricardo “Bibi” Gardner was born. [English-based Creole Jamaica Relationships] [full cite] (Jun. 19, 2006)

wash-out effect n. In the early 1970s, manufacturers introduced sirens with different patterns and frequencies, to address a growing problem: Officers in different police cars using the same frequency often could not hear each other when approaching the same intersection, a dreaded phenomenon known as the wash-out effect that is a recipe for a crash. The yelp, the wail, the fast and the hi-lo sirens were born. [English Science] [full cite] (Jun. 15, 2007)

washback n. Thousands of baby green sea turtles are headed back out to sea Friday with a little help. The washbacks, as they’re called, were rescued from the rough surf over the last few weeks. [English Animals, Insects, & Birds] [full cite] (Oct. 22, 2007)

washing line n. Washing lines: Vertical work station on which aircraft wing panels are positioned and worked on prior to wing assembly. [English Aviation Slang] [full cite] (Dec. 17, 2007)

Washing Machine Charlie n. By the time he was 19, McNerney was the platoon sergeant of a mortar unit assigned to HQ Company in the jungles of Saipan, fighting Japanese soldiers and dodging Japanese bombs. One day, in early July 1944, McNerney didn’t dodge quickly enough. Shrapnel dropped from a “Washing Machine Charlie” (military slang for a small Japanese bomber) ripped open his right knee, tearing through ligaments and cartilage. [English Aviation Military Slang] [full cite] (Feb. 1, 2009)

Washington Monument n. In budgeting parlance, a “Washington Monument” is a popular program or facility singled out for budget cuts precisely because of its popularity. The term seems to have its origins in the U.S. Park Service official who, testifying before Congress in 1971, said the only way he could cut the budget would be to close the landmark to tourists. [English Politics] [full cite] (Nov. 21, 2006)

Washington Monument ploy n. Cynics suggest the proposed park closings are merely a bargaining tactic, a way to gain leverage in getting the budget passed. There’s even a name for it in political circles: the “Washington Monument ploy.” Politicians announce highly unpopular cuts, and then relent in exchange for other concessions. [English Government Politics] [full cite] (Apr. 14, 2008)

washlet n. Japanese bathrooms are the apotheosis of the nation’s fascination with both cleanliness and high-tech gadgetry. The toilet at Tokyo Midtown may have been a rather basic model of what is called a “washlet,” but its options included a warmed seat, bidet cleansing, spray cleansing (a rather different angle and spray from the bidet option), a “powerful deodorizer” and, of course, the “flushing sound” with adjustable volume. [English] [full cite] (Sep. 12, 2007)

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