Scram

Acronym for Safety Control Rod Axe Man. In very early nuclear reactors, the control rod assembly was suspended above the reactor core with a cable. In the event of the reactor starting to go out of control, the axe man would cut the cable to drop the control rod assembly into the core almost instantaneously stopping the reaction. However, everyone else would run out of the building. Hence, the word SCRAM got it's current meaning i.e. to make a hastened exit (used either as a verb or an imperitive).

Please note that modern safety technology has made a nuclear reactor the safest place to work (safer than a bank, in fact), and the axe man position is no longer used.

1. The reactor's starting to go super-critical! OK, SCRAM!!!

2. We'd better scram before the game traffic lets out...

3. Ok punk, now scram!

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