Feminazi (feminist + Nazi)
"Feminazi"(feminist + Nazi) desscribes a radical feminist; the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that the term is "usually disparaging." Conservative radio talk show host…
Whackage
Barry Ritholtz's financial blog, The Big Picture, has been using the term "whackage" (whack + package/wreckage) since at least February 2006. A typical Friday blog headline is…
Foggy Bottom
Foggy Bottom is an area of Washington, D. C., known for its fog and cited in print by that name since at least 1854. In 1947, the U.S. Department of State moved to a building in Foggy Bottom. The…
Central Banks’ Central Bank (Bank for International Settlements or BIS nickname)
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), located in Basel, Switzerland, was formed in 1930 to facilitate the transfer of reparations from the World War. The BIS is not accountable to any…
Drugs and Thugs (Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs nickname)
The Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) advises the President, Secretary of State, and numerous government departments. The INL nickname…
Fudge Factory (State Department nickname)
"Fudge Factory" is a nickname of the U.S. Department of State. The term was coined by Washington (DC) Post syndicated columnist Joseph Kraft (1924-1986) in 1965-1966. "Fudge…
Yuglies (young + ugly; Dallas Cowboys offensive line)
The Dallas Cowboys football team fan blog "Blogging the Boys" (BTB) sought a new name for the 2011 Cowboys' young and revamped offensive line. A poster named "Shaymer"…
The Company (Central Intelligence Agency or CIA nickname)
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the successor to World War II's Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The CIA has been nicknamed "The Company" since at least 1972, when that…
Pickle Factory (Central Intelligence Agency or CIA nickname)
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the successor to World War II's Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The CIA has been nicknamed the "Pickle Factory" since at least 1965, when…
Euro Quake or Euroquake (Euro/Europe + earthquake)
"Euro quake" or "euroquake" (euro + earthquake) is a name for dramatic changes in the European financial markets. The word was technically coined by Daniel Burstein's book,…
“Manhattan on the Potomac” (Rosslyn, Arlington VA)
Rosslyn in Arlington County, Virginia, is on the Potomac River, across from Washington, DC. The nickname "Manhattan on the Potomac" began to be used in 2006 to represent the new…
Diaper District
A "diaper district" is a neighborhood that is filled with many new families (especially those including diaper-age children). The New York (NY) Times coined the name "Diaper…
“Competition is a sin” (Rockefeller?)
"Competition is (a) sin" is often credited to John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), the founder of the Standard Oil Company. The saying has been attributed to Rockefeller since at least 1971,…
“The worst advice is free advice” (“The most expensive advice is free advice”)
Financial author Robert Kiyosaki, of the "Rich Dad" website and series of books, wrote in Rich Dad's Retire Young, Retire Rich: How to get rich and stay rich forever! (2002):…
“What were the Aggie’s last words?” / “Hey y’all, watch this!”(joke)
A common joke has it that a Southerner/Redneck/Aggie/Texan utters these famous last words:"Hey y'all, watch this!" (Or, "Hold my beer and watch this!")The implication is…
Leading from Behind
"Leading from behind" can describe someone who is afraid of the action. In Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera, The Gondoliers (1889), it was said of the Duke of Plaza-Toro: "In…
Pole Tax (homophone of “poll tax”)
"Tits for tots" (a pun on "tit-for-tat") was the nickname pf a proposed 2004 Texas strip club tax that would, supposedly, have raised revenue for the education of Texas…
Pork Chopper (helicopter used for shooting hogs)
The Texas legislature heard a bill in 2009 to legalize "pork choppers" -- helicopters ("choppers") used to hunt feral hogs ("pork"). "Pork choppers" were…
Tits-for-Tots (strip club “pole tax”)
"Tits for tots" (a pun on "tit-for-tat") was the nickname pf a proposed 2004 Texas strip club tax that would, supposedly, have raised revenue for the education of Texas…
“Gold is no one’s liability”
"Gold is no one's liability" is a saying that has been cited in print since at least 1960 and has been popular since the 2000s, when the dollar value of gold greatly increased. Gold…