“Moose on the table” (big or difficult issue)
The "moose on the table" is similar to the "elephant in the room" -- a big or a difficult problem that no one seems to acknowledge and attempt to tackle. The expression has been…
J-E-T-S (Just Exit The Stadium)
"J-E-T-S" is a popular chant of football fans of the New York Jets. When the team is losing, some insist that this stands for "Just Exit The Stadium." The backronym "Just…
Coffice (coffeehouse + office)
A "coffice" (coffeehouse + office) is a place where one can get coffee, but also where one can set up a laptop computer and do office work. "Coffice" has been cited in print…
Fat Goldfinger (fat finger + gold/Goldfinger)
"Fat finger dialing" is when a large finger accidentally hits an extra or a wrong number. A sudden drop in the stock market in May 2010 was initially attributed to a "fat finger…
Apoplithorismosphobia (fear of deflation)
Mark Thornton, an American economist of the Austrian School and a senior fellow with the Ludwig von Mises Institute, wrote in The Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics (Winter 2003):…
Tealiban (tea party + Taliban)
"Tealiban" (tea party + Taliban) is used to describe the political tea party movement that some believe is as extremist as the Taliban. "Tealiban" has been cited in print since…
Big Apple Awards (New York City public school teachers)
The annual Big Apple Awards by the New York City Department of Education began in 2013 and honor the best public school teachers. Teachers receive a classroom grant for their student and schools.…
Snow-Trolling
"Global warming" is a scientific and also a political issue -- the political left says it exists and the political right says it doesn't exist. When a cold day happens, members of…
Debtcropper (debt + sharecropper)
A "debtcropper" (debt + sharecropper) is someone who is a slave to debt. Matt Stoller's "A Debtcropper Society" in Next New Deal (The Blog of the Roosevelt Institute)…
FDA-hole (Food and Drug Administration + asshole)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates and supervises food and drug safety. Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, popularized "FDA-hole" (Food and…
Cupset (World Cup + upset)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: FIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national…
Stock Picker’s Market (Stock Pickers’ Market)
In a strong bull market, just about any stock that anyone picks is a winner. A "stock picker's market" or "stockpicker's market" (also "stock pickers'…
“You’re a fake, a phony, and a fraud” (talk radio catchphrase)
"You're a fake, a phony, and a fraud!" was a catchphrase of conservative radio talk show host Bob Grant (1929-2013). It's not known when Grant first used it, but…
Economedian (economist + comedian)
The term "economedian" (economist + comedian) can apply to an economist who has a sense of humor, or it can have a derogatory use describing an economist who is laughably bad at the…
Boroughite (inhabitant of a borough)
New York City was consolidated into five boroughs (Bronx. Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island) in 1898. A "boroughite" is, theoretically, an inhabitant of any borough, but the term…
“Get off my phone!” (radio talk show saying)
"Get off my phone!" was the catchphrase of conservative talk radio host Bob Grant (1929-2013). If Grant didn't like a caller, Grant would shout, "Get off my phone, you…
“It’s the Jewish new year 5768 and I still write 5767 on my checks” (joke)
An old joke is that in January (the first month of the year), a check writer mistakenly writes the old year on a check. That joke has been cited in print since at least 1969. Late night television…
“Wine, dine and sixty-nine”
"Wine, dine and sixty-nine" (also "Wine me, dine me, sixty-nine me") is one version of date. The slang term "sixty-nine" (69) is a sexual position. "Wine me, Dine…
“What’s a shy and retiring accountant?” (joke)
Accountants are usually conservative personalities. "What's a shy and retiring accountant?" goes an old joke. "An accountant who's half a million shy and that's why…
“Show me a successful person, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity”
"Show me anyone who is successful, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity" is a saying that has been frequently said by American football coach and motivational speaker…