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
What’s up with ketchup? The shifting history and spelling of the name of this condiment. For centuries, ketchup was a fishy sauce originating in Asia—the tomatoes came only later! Plus, a new book shows what’s lost when a language dies: when there...
Amid a 1796 heat wave, Jane Austen wrote to her sister, “What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Jane Austen’s Continual State of Inelegance in a 1796...