︎get one’s bait back
v. phr.— «Bain and its co-investors extracted special payments of over $100 million from each company, enabling Bain to make a healthy profit even before re-selling the businesses—a practice known as “getting back your bait.” Lenders say Bain is one of the firms that has taken the most in such payments, which companies usually make by taking on additional debt.» —“Romney’s political life tied to business success” by David D. Kirkpatrick in Washington, D.C. Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah) June 4, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Cat hair may be something you brush off, but cat hair is also a slang term that means “money.” In the same way, cat beer isn’t alcoholic — some people use cat beer as a joking term for “milk.” And imagine walking on a...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski’s puzzle is proof positive that words aren’t always what they seem, especially words that begin with the letters re-. For example, say John was driving along a road and turned right, then drove a little more and...