Great Stagnation
The "Great Stagnation" is a term applied to an economy that is not advancing or developing. The economist Lester C. Thurow wrote a piece titled "The Great Stagnation" for the…
Archive for 09/2011
Bankster of America (Bank of America nickname)
Bank of America is one of the Big Four of America's banks (along with Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo). The slang term "bankster" (banker + gangster) gained renewed…
Polidiot (politics + idiot)
A "polidiot" (politics + idiot) can mean a politician who's an idiot or a member of the general public (such as a voter) who's an idiot. The term "polidiot" has been…
“Get ‘em while they’re hot”
"Get 'em while they're hot!" is the cry of someone selling hot food, such as hot dogs or hot peanuts or hot popcorn. The cry "Get 'em while they're hot!" has…
Little Haiti (Flatbush and Canarsie, Brooklyn)
New York City's "Little Haiti" is not as concentrated or well known as Miami's "Little Haiti." There was an earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, and reporters went to…
Little Panama (Crown Heights, Brooklyn)
Franklin Avenue, between Fulton Street and Empire Boulevard, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, has been called "Little Panama." In 2010, an effort was made to rename part of Franklin Avenue…
Low Line
The High Line is a public park that was made from an abandoned elevated railroad on the west side of Manhattan. Two proposed New York City public parks grabbed the "Low Line" moniker. In…
“You pays your money and you takes your choice”
The Battle of Waterloo (on June 18, 1815) was frequently reenacted, with a showman explaining the action. The story goes that confused patrons asked, "Which is the Duke of Wellington? Which is…
“Them that has, gets”
"Them that has, gits" was mentioned in a Boston (MA) Record anecdote in 1885. Two women were chatting, and one said that the Biblical Sarah was left a lot of money. The other woman…
“A quick nickel is better than a slow dime”
"A fast/quick nickel is better than a slow dime/quarter/dollar" means that a smaller profit (with greater volume) can be better for business than a potentially larger profit (with less…
Aunt Sammy (sister of Uncle Sam)
“Aunt Sammy” was a radio character created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics in 1926 to educate homemakers. The show was renamed…
Shopdropping (reverse shoplifting)
"Shopdropping" (also called "reverse shopping") is when someone adds a product to a store. Although any sale of the product not in a store's computer system generally…
“Three kinds of economists” (joke)
The old economics joke goes: "There are three kinds of economists: Those who can add/count and those who can't." (Also, "Those who know how to add/count and those who…
Straw Poll (Straw Vote)
A "straw poll" (or "straw vote") is a vote on a candidate or issue; straws are not used tally the votes, but straws might originally have been used. The early straw votes were…
Cash on the Sidelines
"Cash/money on the sidelines" is like a football player "on the sidelines" (that is, not in the field of play). Cash might be kept "on the sidelines" to ride out a…
“If you don’t know jewelry, know your jeweler”
"Know Your Jeweler" has been a slogan since at least the early 1920s, and "Know Your Jeweler if You Don't Know Diamonds" has been cited in print since at least 1927. The…
Frozen Zone
A "frozen zone" is a high security area that is off limits ("frozen") to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. A "frozen zone" can be declared after a disaster (such as…
Bottom Dollar (“Bet your bottom dollar”)
"Bottom dollar" means one's very last dollar. To "bet your bottom dollar" means to bet even one's last dollar, such as the bottom dollar in a stack of dollars at a…
Top Dollar
To get "top dollar" on a used car or other item is to get the best price (the most money) for it -- a dollar amount that can't be topped. The term "top dollar" has been…
Lager Beer
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: LagerLager (German: storage) is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager…