Hopium (hope + opium)
"Hopium" (hope + opium) has been cited in print since at least 2003 to describe a drug of addicting "hope." Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign used "hope and…
Archive for 02/2011
Little Morocco (Astoria, Queens)
Astoria, Queens, is home to “Little Morocco” on Steinway Street, between 28th Avenue and Astoria Boulevard -- although the area is more familiarly called "Little Egypt." Arabic…
Little Egypt (Astoria, Queens)
Astoria, Queens, is home to "Little Egypt" on Steinway Street, between 28th Avenue and Astoria Boulevard. Arabic restaurants and other shops began to open in the area in the 1980s and…
Sleeping Beauty
Entry in progress -- B.P. InvestopediaWhat Does Sleeping Beauty Mean?A company that is prime for takeover but has not been approached by an acquiring company. Investopedia explains Sleeping BeautyA…
Saturday Night Special
A "Saturday night special" (or "blitzkrieg") is a surprise takeover attempt. In 1975, Colt Industries (manufacturer of guns) attempted what would be a successful takeover of…
Shark Repellent
Entry in progress -- B.P. The Free DictionaryNoun 1. shark repellent - a measure undertaken by a corporation to discourage unwanted takeover attempts Free Merriam-Webster Dictionaryshark repellent…
Bear Hug
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wiktionary: bear hugNounbear hug (plural bear hugs)1.any especially large, tight or enthusiastic hug, usually friendly Granddad scooped up the child in a big bear hug.2.in…
White Knight
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…
Poison Pill
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Shareholder rights planA shareholder rights plan, colloquially known as a "poison pill", or simply "the pill" is a kind of defensive tactic…
“Policy follows the money”
"There's an old saying in Washington that the policy follows the money," a 2011 Fox News story about the defunding of the national healthcare law began. "In other words, if…
Masturbator of the Universe (banker nickname)
A video titled Bankers -- Masturbators of the Universe was posted on January 1, 2011 on both vodpod and YouTube. "Masturbators of the universe" is a pun on the term "master of the…
Minsky Moment (Minsky Crisis)
The terms "Minsky moment" and "Minsky crisis" refer to the economist Hyman Philip Minsky (1919-1996), who studied financial crises. Minsky argued against large amounts of…
Meltdown
A nuclear "meltdown" (or "melt-down" or "melt down") is a disaster that occurs when a nuclear reactor has melted its core. A "financial meltdown" or…
Zombie Bank
A "zombie" (as popularized in many horror movies) is someone of the living dead, who walks the earth but doesn't know that he or she is dead. A "zombie banks" is a bank…
Melt Up (Meltup)
A "melt up" (or "melt-up" or "meltup") is the opposite of a stock market "meltdown." The term "meltdown" had been in use since at least the early…
“Amateurs manage money by taking risk; professionals manage risk by taking money”
“Amateurs manage money by taking risk; professionals manage risk by taking money" is a saying that's been cited in print since at least 2007 and is of unknown origin. "Strat"…
“It’s crooked, but it’s the only game in town”
A story is told about a 19th century gambler who was gambling in a small town. A friend told him that the game was rigged, but the gambler remarked, "I know it's crooked, but it's…
Center for American Regress (Center for American Progress nickname)
The Center for American Progress is a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization (trademarked since September 2003). Some critics of the Center for American Progress have…
Retardican (retard + Republican)
"Retardican" (retard + Republican) is a political epithet that has been cited in print since at least January 1996. The term has been capitalized as "Retardican" (after…
Demwit (Democrat + dimwit)
"Demwit" (Democrat + dimwit) is a political epithet that has been cited in print since at least October 1998. The term has been capitalized as "Demwit" (after…