Roach Coach
"Roach coach" is an unfortunate nickname for many taco trucks. In the 1970s, airlines serving Latin America were sometimes called "roach coaches" (a slur against the…
MFFL (Mavericks Fan For Life)
"MFFL" stands for "Mavericks Fan For Life" (or "Mavs Fan For Life"). Mark Cuban bought the Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball team in January 2000. By January 2001, Cuban…
Eggnog (Egg Nog)
Eggnog (also spelled "egg nog" and "egg-nog") contains beaten eggs with a liquor base, such as rum, brandy or whiskey. Milk, cream and sugar are often added. "Egg…
“Put 10% of your portfolio in gold and hope it doesn’t work” (investment adage)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 14 April 1989, The Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica), "The thing with the bad rep is gold" by Robert Heier (Copley News Service), pg. 23, cols. 1-2:Byron R. Wien of…
“Wall Street never discounts the same thing twice”
"Wall Street never discounts the same thing twice" is a stock exchange adage cited since at least the early 1930s. For example, it could be expected that a company is going to announce…
“Don’t let the tax tail wag the investment dog” (Wall Street adage)
"Don't let the tax tail wag the investment dog" (sometimes given as simply "dog" or "profit dog" or "savings dog"or "economic dog") means that…
Brother Jonathan (summary)
"Brother Jonathan" was an early representation of an American or of the United States, later replaced with "Uncle Sam." Brother Jonathan was the opposite of the personification…
“He who sells what isn’t his’n, must buy it back or go to prison”
A classic little saying about short selling on Wall Street is: "He who sells what isn't his'n, must buy it back or go to prison." The origin of the saying is unknown, but by…
Felon City; Wicked Sticks; Kliffside (Bacliff nicknames)
Bacliff is an unincorporated town in Galveston County, formerly called Clifton-by-the-Sea. A September 9, 2008 article in the Houston (TX) Press detailed the crime in Bacliff and some of the…
“The (rising) star of Texas” (Texas State slogan)
Texas State University-San Marcos has used the slogan "The rising star of Texas" since September 2005. In October 2008, it was proposed to eliminate the word "rising" to simply…
“We burn rubber and chipotles” (Houston taco truck slogan)
"We burn rubber and chipotles" has become a slogan at a Houston taco truck. Houston (TX) ChronicleIt's not your typical taco truckBy JENALIA MORENONov. 4, 2008, 7:27AM(...)Armando…
Uncle Sam (summary)
"Uncle Sam" is a personification of the United States, formed from the letters "U. S." The name became popular in the War of 1812; England was personified then as "John…
Doughnut Hole (Donut Hole)
Captain Hanson Crockett Gregory of Maine (1831-1921) is usually given credit for inventing the doughnut hole while at sea in 1847. Gregory explained his invention in an interview given in 1916 (see…
Bomboloni (Italian doughnuts)
Bomboloni are Italian doughnuts, popular in Florence. These are more doughnut holes than doughnuts, filled with vanilla pastry cream, raspberry jam, or other fillings. The Italian…
Mixed Fries (french fries + sweet potato fries)
"Mixed fries" are usually a combination of french fries and sweet potato fries, although other combinations are sometimes offered. Mixed fries became popular in American restaurants in…
“The public is right during the trends, but wrong at both ends” (Wall Street adage)
Humphrey Bancroft Neill (1895-1977), the "Vermont ruminator," was a stock market contrarian, as expressed in his book, The Art of Contrary Thinking (1954). He wrote: "The public is…
Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet potato fries (or "sweet potato french fries") became popular in American restaurants from the 1980s. The fries are prepared like french fries, and both are sometimes combined as…
“Even Napoleon had his Watergate” (Yogi Berra?)
New York City baseball player and manager Yogi Berra (1925-2015) is known for his malapropisms. "Even Napoleon had his Watergate" ("Watergate" is a mistake for…
Wire House (Wirehouse)
A "wire house" (or "wirehouse") is a brokerage house that has a communication network; originally, a "wire house" meant a brokerage house with a telegraph line or a…
“Too big to fail” (TBTF)
Entry in progress -- B.P. The Financial Services Roundtable has been called a TBTF lobbying group or the "TBTF Consortium." Similar phrases include "too big to jail," "too…