@ verb informal to write a message about someone or something on Twitter
Maybe it’s an attempt to get a crate sent to him (after all, he can’t just pop to Boots – the cashier might @ him on Twitter, telling the world the man behind Pass Out has had a rich dinner and as a result is experiencing a spot of heartburn).
[The Guardian (UK broadsheet) 18 Aug 2012]
astroturfing noun creating the false impression that a lot of people support a particular viewpoint, especially online
I also know what you’re thinking – astroturfing could trick most people but not you, right? That might be true on issues like taxing bankers – most people reading this blog would be liberal minded, I would imagine, and as a result would be less likely to be swayed by any astroturfing which aims to convince you that we don’t need to tax bankers any more than we already do.
[http://animalrightsuk.blogspot.co.uk 24 Aug 2012]
Astroturfing – ie the overall cumulative effect of the above [tactics]. Artificial buzz.
[http://www.theleftroom.co.uk 26 Aug 2012]
contactless noun a type of debit or credit card that can be waved over a sensor and does not require a pin or signature
I used contactless all the time at the Olympic Park.
[The Guardian (UK broadsheet) 22 Sept 2012]
A historical note: the term “Astroturf,” meaning artificial grass, dates back to the first stadium designed to stage an outdoor sport indoors: in this case, baseball. The goal was to spare fans the heat and humidity common in Houston summers. Though the roof of the Astrodome (as the stadium was called) had large glass panels, no grass grew below, so a high-tech solution was sought.