Phrases & Expressions

To end a conflict or argument and become friends again.

• After years of not speaking, they decided to bury the hatchet.
• Let's bury the hatchet and move forward.

To pay someone so that the person keeps quiet or does what you want.

• They tried to buy off the witness before the trial.
• The company tried to buy off its critics with expensive gifts.

A note in a fault report saying that the problem could not be reproduced during testing.

• The engineer closed the report as "cannot duplicate" after a full test.
• The technician's notes on the faulty radio read: cannot duplicate.

The tendency for chicken owners to always want more chickens, regardless of space or resources.

• I told myself I only needed six, but chicken math always wins.
• She bought two more hens, falling victim to chicken math again.

A visual maneuver performed after an instrument approach to align the aircraft with the runway for landing.

• The pilot executed a circling approach in low visibility.
• Circling approach requires specific pilot training.

A call from the flight crew telling ground staff that the headset and tow bar may be disconnected.

• After pushback, the captain told the ground engineer, "Clear to disconnect."
• Wait for the "clear to disconnect" call before removing the tow bar.

To resolve or rectify an item listed on the MEL.

• The maintenance team will close the MEL item by the end of the day.
• We need to close this MEL as soon as possible.

A hospital emergency code indicating a cardiac arrest or other life-threatening situation.

• The nurse announced 'code blue' over the intercom.
• The team responded quickly to the code blue.

Stopping a harmful habit, such as smoking, suddenly and completely.

• She quit smoking cold turkey after twenty years.
• Going cold turkey can cause headaches for a few days.

To switch radio communication to the approach control frequency for landing guidance.

• Contact approach control on 124.3.
• You will contact approach after passing the marker.