Uncle Sugar (Uncle Sam + sugar daddy)
"Uncle Sugar" means the "United States" (U.S.), taken from the slang names "Uncle Sam" and "sugar daddy." The slang "sugar" means…
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“The only useful thing banks have invented in the last 20 years is the ATM”
Paul Volcker (a former chairman of the Federal Reserve) has said that he's no fan of fancy financial products (such as the "credit default swap"). In December 2009, Volcker addressed…
Delay-and-Pray
"Delay and pray" is what a lender might do with a "toxic" asset, such as a mortgage. A bank doesn't want to foreclose and take possession of the property, so it often…
Extend-and-Pretend
"Extend and pretend" is what a lender might do with a "toxic" asset, such as a mortgage. A bank doesn't want to foreclose and take possession of the property, so it often…
“One is scared and the other is glad of it”
"One's scared and the other is glad of it" is said of a schoolyard fight or of a boxing match, where one side doesn't want to fight and the other side is relieved. The saying is…
Aquemuck (Aqueduct racetrack scandal)
The Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens was proposed to be converted into a "racino" (racing + casino) in the 2000s to help reverse years of declining attendance. Questions about the racino…
“Traders would cut your heart out for an eighth of a point” (Wall Street saying)
Stocks traded in eighths of a point until the 2000s, when stock exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange and American Stock Exchange switched to decimal pricing. A Wall Street saying was that…
“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu”
"If you're not at the table, you're on the menu" (or, "You're either at the table or on the menu") means that if you're not at the (bargaining) table, then…
“To know and not to do is not to know”
"To know and not to do is not to know" has been credited to Chinese philosopher Wang Yangming (1472-1529). The phrase appears cited with frequency in English from 1977, and has been a…
Horndog High (James Madison High School nickname)
Brooklyn's James Madison High School was dubbed "Horndog High" by the New York (NY) Daily News in December 2009, after two language teachers were caught by a janitor for apparently…
Kitchenista
A "kitchenista" is someone who loves to be in the kitchen. The term uses the same derivative ending ("-ista") as the popular term "fashionista" from the 1990s;…
“Up a staircase, down an elevator” (Wall Street adage)
"Up a staircase, down an elevator" means that a market rises slowly (stairs) and falls quickly (elevator). The saying has been cited in print since at least 2007. A similar saying is:…
Demon Pass (Deem and Pass)
Entry in progress -- B.P. MediaiteCNN’s Ed Henry Won’t Let Robert Gibbs Pass on ‘Deem and Pass’by Tommy Christopher | 3:41 pm, March 16th, 2010The House Democrats’ procedural “Deem and…
“What’s the difference between roast beef and pea soup?” (joke)
An old burlesque gag is: "Q. What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup? A. You can roast beef (but you can't pee soup)." The joke is also given as: "Q.…
“Under capitalism, man exploits man; under communism, it is the other way around’’
Both Poland and Russia claim this capitalism/communism joke in 1958. From Journey to Poland and Yugoslavia (1958) by John Kenneth Galbreath: "Do you know the difference between capitalism and…
“Nobody shoots at Santa Claus”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Al SmithAlfred Emanuel Smith, Jr. (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944), known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American politician who was…
Teatard (tea party participant + retard)
"Teatard" [TEA (Taxed Enough Already) party participant + retard] is an epithet used against the anti-tax, pro-smaller government "tea party" rallies that were popularized on…
“In the stock market, there’s a fine line between being wrong and being early”
Timing the stock market is a tricky thing to do. "In the stock market, there's a fine line beween being wrong and being early" (or, "In the stock market, there's a fine…
Dimocrat (dim + Democrat)
"Dimocrat" (dim + Democrat, also lowercase "dimocrat") is a derogatory nickname for a member of the Democrat party. "Dimocrat" is cited in print since at least June…
“Nothing is older than yesterday’s newspaper”
Entry in progress -- B.P. 1 July 1926, Seattle (WA) Daily Times, "Bo-Broadway" by Can Raalte, pg. 6, col. 4:The one thing in this world older than yesterday's newspaper is a…