Isaiah Thomas's definitions

Worcesterize

To take an opportunity ripe with business and economic-development potential and, by engaging in negative, destructive behavior, smoking it completely and absolutely.

Worcester, Massachusetts, with a population of 175,000 and a business/economic-development infrastructure platform capable of supporting more than twice that many people, refuses to market its significant, valuable assets to the rest of the world for economic-development purposes. As a result, Worcester's business-property tax base, which was 35% of its total tax base 20 years ago, is now only 20%.

by Isaiah Thomas December 16, 2004