Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
Emil Mazey (1913-1983), the secretary-treasurer of the United Automobile Workers for 33 years, said at a labor meeting in 1946: "I can't prove you are a Communist. But when I see a bird…
"Teahadist" (tea party + jihadist) is an epithet used against tea party members, comparing them to religious fanatics dedicated to jihad. The term "teahadist" has been cited in…
"The cemeteries/graveyards are full of indispensable men/people" means that no one is indispensable. The saying has been credited to Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929) and Charles de Gaulle…
On February 12, 1980, Harry Oppenheimer (of South Africa's De Beers diamond mining and trading company) instructed London broker Rowe & Pitman to buy many shares in Consolidated Gold…
"Localwashing" (local + whitewash) is when a restaurant advertises that it uses locally grown foods (or when a food product claims to be locally grown), but the authenticity of the…
Biflation (bi + deflation/inflation) is when both deflation and inflation occur at the same time. For example, there might be deflation in housing, but inflation in commodities. The term…
"Documented Instance of Public Eating" (DIPE) appeared in the February 2011 New York (NY) Times, with the new term credited to film publicist Jeremy Walker. Walker had noticed that the…
Traditionally, a bank's hours have been short, such as from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The hours have almost never extended to the late afternoon or early evening, or on the weekends. To work…
The "3-6-3" rule or formula in banking meant that a bank gives 3% interest on accounts, charges 6% interest on loans, and the banker is to be found on the golf course by 3 p.m. The…
"Diworsification" (diversification + worse) is diversification for the worse. Diversification is often sought so that one doesn't have the high risk of "all the eggs in one…
The "dash to trash" is when overbuying occurs (the "dash" to buy) of stocks that have fallen precipitously in value and are thought to be cheap ("trash") or of…
The "mainstream media" (MSM) refers to the popular media -- a city's local newspapers, television stations, radio stations, and the national media counterparts. Conservative radio…
Entry in progress -- B.P. InvestorWords.commint ratioThe price of an ounce of gold divided by the price of an ounce of silver. InvestopediaWhat Does Mint Ratio Mean?1. The price of an ounce of gold…
A "deer market" is neither a "bull market" (a rising market) or a "bear market" (a falling market). Investors in a deer market are perplexed about which way the market…
A "fallen angel" is a company or an investment that formerly had been successful, but has fallen in value. Investing in "fallen angels" is risky -- a company could go back up in…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: GreenmailGreenmail or greenmailing is the practice of purchasing enough shares in a firm to threaten a takeover and thereby forcing the target firm to buy those…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: WhitemailWhitemail, coined as an opposite to blackmail, has several meanings explained below. EconomicsIn economics, whitemail is an anti-takeover arrangement…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: White knight (business)In business, a white knight, or "friendly investor" may be a corporation, or a person that intends to help another firm. There…
Entry in progress -- B.P. InvestopediaWhat Does Yellow Knight Mean?A company that was once making a takeover attempt but ends up discussing a merger with the target company. The Free…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: White knight (business)In business, a white knight, or "friendly investor" may be a corporation, or a person that intends to help another firm. There…