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October 7, 2024
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“They say, ‘Get a passport, see the world.’ As if passport is the issue”

"get a passport, see the world" was posted on X/Twitter by TylerTheCreator (now just "T") on December 1, 2019. This received over 214,000 likes. Many people responded that they…

October 17, 2018
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“They should stock ATM’s better. I went to 4 different ones and they all said insufficient funds”

A bank's ATM might say "insufficient funds," but whose funds are insufficient? "dnt tell any1 but Standard bank,ABSA n FNB r bankrupt! Tried withdrawing money from them n they…

January 12, 2011
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“Think like a fundamentalist; trade like a technician”

Dennis Gartman is a successful trader who writes The Gartman Letter. "Think like a fundamentalist and trade like a technician" has been his advice since at least the October 1989 issue of…

March 3, 2024
Banking/Finance/InsuranceEducation/SchoolsGovernment/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“Thinking that printing banknotes ends poverty is like thinking that printing diplomas ends ignorance”

"Pensar que imprimiendo billetes se acaba con la pobreza es como pensar que imprimiendo diplomas se acaba con la ignorancia" ("Thinking that printing banknotes ends poverty is like…

December 13, 2016
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“This Christmas, I’d like a fat bank account and a slim body”

A jocular Christmas letter has been printed on many images: "Dear Santa, This year please give me a fat bank account and a slim body. (Please don't mix them up like you did last…

January 26, 2026
Banking/Finance/InsuranceFood/DrinkRestaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“This economy is so fkd you’ll be sitting here thinking you’re bad with money and all you did was buy food”

Many people believe that the economy is so bad that they can hardly afford food. This was posted on Telegram by ngsmokeboi on January 5, 2026, and it received over 28,700 likes: "This economy…

May 6, 2024
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“This is how celeb charity appeals work” (joke)

Celebrities are rich and famous, but they often have charity appeals, asking money from people who are not rich at all. "I had five hundred Kit Kats in my fridge and my mate had one in his. I…

August 11, 2022
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“This is not a recession. This is a robbery”

"It's not a recession. It's a robbery" or ("This is not a recession. This is a robbery") is a saying that has been printed on many images. In a recession, business…

July 8, 2021
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“This morning I called my mom by ‘birth giver’ and she replied ‘yes, financial drain?’”

Parents and children have new nicknames for each other. This was posted on Twitter by yerl on January 11, 2019: "This morning I called my mom by ‘birth giver’ and she replied ‘yes,…

April 19, 2018
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“Those who invest in chocolate put their money behind bars”

A pun about chocolate was posted on the website Pun of the Day in March 2004: "Those who invest in chocolate put their money behind bars." Pun of the Day Great One Liners of the Month -…

September 27, 2024
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“Thought I was a minimalist, but it turns out I’m just broke”

A minimalist keeps things at a minimum. People who don't have money are "minimalist," but not by choice. "Are you a minimalist or just broke?" was posted on X/Twitter by…

May 23, 2010
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“Three D’s” or “Five D’s” of Auctions/Foreclosures (Death, Disease, Drugs, Divorce, Denial)

Entry in progress -- B.P. Google News Archive14 August 1986, St. Petersburg (FL) Evening Independent, "Firms helps brokerages make sales," pg. 10A, col. 1:Suppose you are a client who…

May 24, 2016
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“Three great inventions: fire, the wheel and central banking”

American humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935) is often credited with the jocular saying: "There have been three great inventions since the beginning of time: fire, the wheel, and central…

September 27, 2011
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“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…

December 30, 2009
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“Throw good money after bad” (to waste additional money)

"To throw good money after bad" is to further invest in a losing venture. If much money has already been sunk into the venture -- General Motors, for example -- a "bailout" of…

August 13, 2014
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“Throw nickels like manhole covers” (stingy)

To "throw nickels like manhole covers" is not to throw nickels at all. (Manhole covers are heavy and are almsot impossible to throw.) The saying implies that a person is stingy with…

December 12, 2008
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“Time in the market is better than timing the market” (Wall Street adage)

"Time in the market is better than timing the market" means that, over time, the stock market will yield successful returns. It is impossible to accurately time the market highs and lows.…

November 12, 2010
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“Time is the friend of stocks, the enemy of bonds”

"Time is the friend of stocks, the enemy of bonds" has been cited in print since at least 2008 and is of unknown origin. The saying includes the word "time," but probably means…

July 13, 2009
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“Time, talent, and treasure”

"Time, talent, and treasure" is a phrase that's often mentioned in churches to promote sacrificial giving. The phrase is also used in philanthropy and in corporations (especially…

June 8, 2014
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“Tips are for waiters” (Wall Street adage)

"Tips are for waiters" is a stock market adage that dates to at least 1989. The adage holds that one should rely on business fundamentals, not stock tips. If someone is on the inside…

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BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

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