happy hello
n.— «A new phrase is doing the rounds in the recruitment industry—the happy hello. The phrase has been coined for the joining bonuses that companies are offering to coax the best employees into their fold. Such incentives are particularly prevalent in SA’s financial-services sector, which is being hit badly by a shortage of highly skilled professionals.» —“South Africa: Win the Best Staff With a Happy Hello” Business Day (Johannesburg, South Africa) May 30, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Susan from Virginia Beach, Virginia, shares the phrase her mother used when the kids refused to eat: It’ll grow hair on your back teeth. This supposed motivator likely blends two older traditions: a German idiom, Haare auf den Zähnen haben...
Why do speakers of the same language have different accents? A lively new book called Why We Talk Funny offers a linguist’s look at how and why accents develop. And: If you’ve “stood up” at a wedding, were you supporting the marriage or objecting to...