“If you torture the data long enough, it will confess”
"If you torture the data long enough, it will confess" has come to mean that if you manipulate the data long enough, you'll finish the the result you want. Some people has asserted…
“Never bet on a possibility against a certainty”
"Never bet against a certainty" or "never bet against a sure thing" has long been common wisdom. But what about having good odds on a possibility? "Never bet on a…
“Trading opportunities are like buses; if you miss one, another will come along soon”
"Trading opportunites are like buses/streetcars/trains; if you miss one, another will come along soon" means that nothing is so special that there's not another financial opportunity…
“You’re only as good as your last trade” (Wall Street adage)
"You're only as good as your last trade" is an old adage for traders on Wall Street, cited in print since at least 1987. It's another version of the saying, "What have you…
“Insurance is sold, not bought”
"Insurance is sold, not bought" is a popular axiom of the insurance business (especially for life insurance), cited in print since at least 1916. Insurance can be complicated and, unless…
“Local advertising is sold, not bought”
"Local advertising is sold, not bought" is a popular axiom of advertising. Many local businesses don't have large advertising budgets -- if any at all. A newspaper or a website, for…
“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste”
"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste," said Rahm Emanuel, the incoming White House Chief of Staff, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on November 19, 2008. The…
“The cure for high prices is high prices” (“The cure for low prices is low prices”)
"The cure/remedy/solution for high prices is high(er) prices" is a popular commodities axiom. With high prices or higher prices, supply is increased and demand is decreased, thus lowering…
Astroturf (Astroturfing)
"AstroTurf" is a proprietary name (trademarked in 1968) for an artificial grass. While a "grassroots" political campaign has authentic support, an "astroturf" campaign…
Rathole (“money down the rathole”)
To throw or to pour something "down a/the rathole" means to put it in an endless space (where lots of rats enter and leave). "Money down a/the rathole" is money wasted, not to…
Chaircreature (Chairman of the Federal Reserve nickname)
"Chaircreature" was a character in the television science fiction series, The Tomorrow People (1979). The creature chaired the Galactic Federation. Chairmen (and chairwomen) have been…
“A safety net should be a trampoline as opposed to a hammock”
“We want to make the safety net a trampoline as opposed to a hammock,” said Massachusetts Governor William Weld in July 1991. The "safety net" and "hammock" imagery --…
Rent-a-Crowd (Rent-a-Mob)
"Rent-a-crowd" (or "rentacrowd") and "rent-a-mob" (or "rentamob") are terms dating from the mid-1960s referring to fake agitation for or against a cause or a…
“Leverage is a double-edged sword”
A "double-edged sword" has two cutting edges; in finance, a "double-edged sword" means something that has both potential benefits and liabilities. Financial leverage can…
“Never sell what you haven’t got”
"Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) was reported by at least 1870 to have said "Never sell what you haven't got." According to some accounts, Vanderbilt said this…
“America is the first nation in history founded on an idea”
Many political speeches, such as the 2011 State of the Union Address given by President Barack Obama, have claimed that the United States is "the first nation to be founded for the sake of an…
“If you haven’t been fired at least once, you haven’t worked in radio”
"If you haven't been fired, you haven't been in radio long enough" has been cited in print since at least 1982. Radio and television broadcasting are driven by ratings. Format…
“A face for radio”
An attractive man or woman has a "face for the movies" or a "face for television." To say that someone has a "face for radio" (where that face is not seen) is to say…
Pathocracy (Pathocrat)
A "pathocracy" is a government run by "pathocrats" -- that is, pathological personalities or psychopaths. The term "pathocracy" was used by Andrew Lobaczewski in his…
Aisle Hog
Steve Kornacki of Salon.com wrote before the January 2011 State of the Union (SOTU) address, "Meet Congress's 5 biggest aisle hogs: You see them every time a president enters the House to…