Cal-Sag

Cal-Sag /cal sag/ n. Short name for the Calumet-Saganashkee Channel, the 16-mile canal that cuts through the suburbs of southern Cook County. It opened in 1922 to connect the Little Calumet River to the Sanitary and Ship Canal (near the Saganashkee Slough by Hickory Hills). It was designed to steer waste away from Lake Michigan by reversing the Calumet River. Both calumet ("peace pipe") and ausaganashkee ("slush of the earth") are Native American words. Usage: "I accidentally drove my car into the Cal-Sag."