Cash Cow
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Cash cowIn business, a cash cow is a product or a business unit that generates unusually high profit margins: so high that it is responsible for a large amount…
Archive for 06/2009
“Comes the revolution, everyone will eat strawberries and cream!”
In the Broadway production of Ballyhoo of 1932, Willie Howard (1886-1949) and his brother Eugene Howard (1991-1965) played in a skit where a soap-box orator told some Columbus Circle (New York…
“If you have to ask, then you probably can’t afford it” (J. P. Morgan?)
"If you have to ask, you (probably) can't afford it" is a saying used to describe purchases of expensive products, such as homes, cars and jewelry. Financier J. P. Morgan (1837-1913)…
“Eat ‘em and Beat ‘em” (Exchange Buffet)
The first Exchange Buffet ("E & B") restaurant opened in 1885 on New Street, near the New York Stock Exchange. The restaurants operated on the honor system -- patrons took food from…
Triple Bottom Line
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Triple bottom lineThe triple bottom line (abbreviated as "TBL" or "3BL", and also known as "people, planet, profit" ) captures an…
Bottom Line (Bottom-Line)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Net incomeNet income is equal to the income that a firm has after subtracting costs and expenses from the total revenue. Net income can be distributed among…
Square Meal
"Square meal" is a term that appears to have originated in California by 1856. It is sometimes claimed that "square meal" comes from England's Royal Navy (where meals were…
NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard)
"NIMBY" (Not In My Back Yard) has been cited in print since at least 1978, and went viral in 1980. The "NIMBY" term has been said to have been coined by Walton Rodger of Nuclear…
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
Competitive eating contests have been held since at least the 19th century. It's not known when the first "hot dog-eating contest" was held. Nathan's often claims that it held…
“Pie in the sky”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Pie in the skyPie in the sky is a phrase that means a fanciful notion or ludicrous concept. It was apparently coined by Joe Hill in his song "The Preacher…
Fish-Wrap or Fish-Wrapper (a bad newspaper, good only to “wrap fish in”)
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Oxford English Dictionary)fish-wrap adj. and n. N. Amer. colloq. (depreciative) (a) adj. of, relating to, or designating a low-quality publication, esp. a newspaper; (b)…
Hot Dog Diplomacy
Can hot dog eating among nations promote world peace? in June 1939, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt invited the king and queen of England to eat hot dogs at Hyde Park, New York. The term…
Feather Test
Entry in progress -- B.P. The Hobby EconomistSaturday, May 9, 2009Stressed Out(...)History repeats in the short sighted news cycle of the day. The same people have developed new risk models. The…
Greek Nachos (Mediterranean Nachos; Pita Nachos; Pitachos)
"Greek nachos" (also called "Mediterranean nachos") is another variation of Tex-Mex nachos. Tortilla chips are usually replaced with pita bread and feta cheese is used. Other…
“Buy stocks that go up; if they don’t go up, don’t buy them” (Will Rogers)
In his syndicated column of November 1, 1929 (appearing in the New York Times and other newspapers), humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935) reflected on the recent stock market crash and said:…
OPM (Other People’s Money)
Entry in progress -- B.P. BusinessDictionary.comother people's money (OPM) Money borrowed as unsecured loans, or contributed by smaller stockholders (shareholders). Equated with its…
Black Wall Street
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: The Black Wall StreetThe Black Wall Street can refer to: . Greenwood, Tulsa, Oklahoma . Jackson Ward, Richmond, Virginia . Parrish Street, in Durham, North…
“Today is a gift—that’s why it’s called the present”
"Today is a gift -- that's why it's called the present" has been cited in print since at least 1993 and possibly originated on a Hallmark greeting card. The newspaper comic…
“Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note”
Art Rust., Jr. signed off his WABC (New York City) sports talk radio show with: "Yesterday is a canceled check. Tomorrow is just a promissory note. Today is the only time we have so spend it…
Ball Orchard (Big Ball Orchard in the South Bronx = Yankee Stadium)
Hugh S. Fullerton (1873-1945) began calling baseball parks "ball orchards" in the Chicago (IL) Tribune in 1905. Yankee Stadium (located in the Bronx) first opened in 1923. By the 1930s,…