Term of the Moment: Break your shovel

Break your shovel: I would imagine this term was stolen from our ditch-digging cousins. It means that you have burned all your bridges and that you are truly and finally fired. I was once on the verge of getting fired, and I called the boss over the boss who was trying to fire me, and I said "I don't want to break my shovel." The big boss on the phone got riled up and said, "Who said anything about breaking your shovel?" I knew my job was safe.--Dylan Foley