A small balled up piece of cotton, usually found on a spoon or other device that has been used to inject illegal drugs. The cotton ball is used as a filter after a drug has been cooked in a spoon. It is dropped into the bowl of the spoon to strain the liquid and weed out any chunks of impurities that have not melted. The needle and syringe then extract the liquid through the cotton filter to inject. Leftover balls of cotton are sometimes hoarded by the drug user for later use, or to swallow when desperate for a high.

v. collectively or individually finding someone/something to blame for a problem, as opposed to brainstorming which connotes finding solutions to a problem

n. the act of finding someone/something to blame for a problem

(from a TV ad for HD television)