Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
In a bear market (a recession or a depression), many investors lose money. A Wall Street proverb is: "In a bear market, money returns to its rightful owner(s)." The adage is cited in…
"If you're going to panic, panic early!" is a Wall Street proverb that's cited in print from at least 2000. It means that one should be the first to sell (and get the highest…
It's often said that Wall Street has only two emotions -- fear and greed. Fear creates panic selling and drives markets down. Greed creates buying frenzies and drives markets up. The proverb…
Wall Street is in business to make money; when investors want to buy something (such as an initial public offering), that something is offered for sale. It doesn't make any difference if Wall…
"Buy straw hats in the winter" (out of season, when the prices are cheapest) is an old Wall Street proverb that's usually credited to financier Russell Sage (1816-1906). Another…
The city of Buda (a growing suburb of Austin, the Texas state capital) has a disputed origin of its name. It had long been thought that "Buda" was a corruption of the Spanish word…
The city of Marfa in West Texas had long thought to have been named by a railroad executive's wife after reading a Russian novel. ("Marfa" is Russian for the woman's name…
"Keep Denton Chido" ("chido" is Spanish for "cool") is a 2008 entry in another city knockoff of the slogan "Keep Austin Weird." The seemingly endless…
While the United States presidency had long had no formal term limits, it was generally respected that no president would serve longer than the two terms served by the first president, George…
A "Santa Claus Rally" is a stock rally at the end of the year, at Christmas and New Year's Day. Yale Hirsch first described the rally in his Stock Trader's Almanac. By 1972,…
The stock market sometimes causes many people to lose sleep. An old Wall Street proverb is to "sell down to the sleeping point" -- that is, only assume the risk that can make you sleep…
The Wall Street proverb that "bear markets slide down a slope of hope" is cited in print from the 1990s. It is said that bear markets begin when there is great hope and optimism. An…
An old Wall Street proverb says that the stock market "climbs a wall of worry" to march into bullish territory. The "wall of worry" phrase is cited in print from at least the…
"I take life with a grain of salt, a slice of lemon and a shot of tequila" has appeared on gift items since the 1990s/early 2000s. (Also given as: "I take life with a grain of salt,…
Television show commentator Bill O'Reilly (host of he O'Reilly Factor on Fox News) called Columbia University "University of Havana-North" in his "Talking Points" memo…
"Buy low, sell high" is the mantra of making money on Wall Street, but when is it low enough to buy? According to one Wall Street proverb, the time to buy is when there is "blood in…
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, followed by Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). Many of New York City's stock traders are Jewish. A Wall Street adage arose by about the 1920s; "Buy…
Goldman Sachs is a leading financial firm, headquartered in lower Manhattan. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the company made so much money (and made its employees so wealthy) that it was nicknamed…
Texas Pink Cloud is another "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink" cocktail that mixes together vodka, white rum and tequila, with sweet and sour mix, pin colada mix and Margarita mix also…
Texas Apple Delight is a simple cocktail that mixes rum, apple juice and Gatorade. The drink appears in print in the 2000s and is of unknown origin. The WebtenderTexas Apple DelightIngredients:1…