A hazing ritual used across multiple trades to test the gullibility of apprentices and new hires. A veteran worker asks the newcomer to go to the stores or another department and ask for a "long weight." The person at the counter, understanding the joke, tells the newcomer to stand aside and wait, leaving them standing there indefinitely for a "long wait."
Heard on the job
Go down to the tool crib and ask Gary for a long weight, we need it to hold down this tarp.
Insider tip
If you are sent for a long weight, a glass hammer, or a bucket of steam, you are being pranked.