“A financier is a pawnbroker with imagination”
"A financier is a pawnbroker with imagination" is credited to the playwright Arthur Wing Pinero (1855-1934). This is slightly incorrect. In Pinero's play, Iris (1901), one character…
“A fool and his money are lucky enough to get together in the first place”
"A fool and his money are soon parted" is a popular English proverb that dates to the 1500s. "A fool and his money are lucky ever to have gotten together in the first place" is…
“A fool and his money are soon audited”
"A fool and his money are soon parted" is a popular English proverb that dates to the 1500s. A fool and his money are soon audited" is a jocular variation on the saying that has been…
“A fool and his money are soon partying”
"A fool and his money are soon parted" is a popular English proverb that dates to the 1500s. An American version is "a fool and his money are soon partying," meaning that fools…
“A friend in need is a damned nuisance”
"A friend (when one is in) need is a friend indeed" is an English proverb almost as old as England. An American spin to "a friend in need" defines this as "a needy…
“A friend of mine invented a washing machine for bank notes. It’s a real money spinner”
The term "money-spinner," used in the United Kingdom and Australia, means "something that generates a continuous income." It doesn't involve the actual spinning of money,…
“A friend of mine takes his cash straight from the ATM and puts it in the washing machine. It’s a real money spinner”
The term "money-spinner," used in the United Kingdom and Australia, means "something that generates a continuous income." It doesn't involve the actual spinning of money,…
“A gold mine is a hole in the ground with a liar on top”
"A gold mine is a hole in the ground with a liar standing on top of it" is a quotation of credited to Mark Twain, the pen name of author Samuel Langhorne Clemons (1835-1910). There is no…
“A good insurance company knows how to handle acclaim”
"Acclaim" sounds like "a claim." An insurance pun was posted on the website Pun of the Day in March 2000: "A good insurance company knows how to handle acclaim." Pun…
“A happy customer tells a friend; an unhappy customer tells the world”
"A happy customer tells a friend; an unhappy customer tells the world" is an old business adage. A happy (or satisfied) customer often doesn't say anything or tells just a few…
“A holding company is where you hand an accomplice the goods while the policeman searches you”
"A holding company is a thing where you hand an accomplice the goods while the policeman searches you" was written by humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935) in a newspaper column on March 14,…
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance”
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" is a Chinese proverb credited to philosopher Laozi (604 B.C.-531 B.C.). "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash…
“A long term investment is a short term investment that failed”
"A long term investment is a short term investment that failed" means that something went wrong and it will take the trader/investor longer to get his/her money back. This is semingly a…
“A lost opportunity is better than lost money” (“Missed money is better than lost money”)
"A lost opportunity is better than lost money" has been cited in print since at least 1919. The saying means that the lost opportunity may (or may not) have gained money, but it's…
“A lot of money is tainted—‘taint yours and ‘taint mine”
"A lot of money is tainted -- 'taint yours and 'taint mine" is an old joke on the word "taint" (meaning "a trace of a bad or undesirable quality") and the…
“A lot of people are in debt because they spend what their friends think they make”
"A lot of people are in debt because they spend what their friends think they make" is a jocular one-line saying that has been popular on Twitter. "Some people are in debt because…
“A man in debt is caught in a net”
Entry in progress -- B.P. The proverb is cometimes credited to John Ray's 17th century book of English proverbs, but it does not appear there. Google BooksThe Salt-Cellars: Being a collection…
“A market that rallies on bad news could signal a bottom” (Wall Street adage)
Sometimes the stock market can rally on bad financial news. There could be several reasons for this. The first reason is that the stock market might have discounted the bad news in advance as…
“A month does not a trend make”
Entry in progress -- B.P. 9 October 1984, Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer, "Some casinos tightening their belts as revenues sag," pg. A1:Roffman added, "A month does not a trend…
“A movement is over when the news is out” (Wall Street adage)
"A movement is over when the news is out" is an old Wall Street adage, cited in print since at least 1906. The price of an asset reflects current value, but it also reflects what is…