  The strange metal behavior, usually characterized by a linear-in-temperature
(T) resistivity, is a still unsolved mystery in solid-state physics. Usually it
is associated with the proximity to a quantum critical point (a second order
transition at temperature T = 0) focusing on the related divergent order
parameter correlation length. Here, we propose a paradigmatic shift, focusing
on a divergent characteristic time scale due to a divergent dissipation acting
on the fluctuating critical modes, while their correlation length stays finite.
To achieve a divergent dissipation, we propose a mechanism based on the
coupling between a local order parameter fluctuation and electronic diffusive
modes, that accounts both for the linear-in-T resistivity and for the
logarithmic specific heat versus temperature ratio C_V/T ~ log(1/T), down to
low temperatures.
