rice bowl n. in the military, a jealously protected program, project, department, or budget; a fiefdom. Etymological Note: Perhaps related to the Chinese concept of the rice bowl as a metaphor for the basic elements required to live, as seen, for example, in the iron rice bowl, employment that is guaranteed for life. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Understanding the varieties of conversational styles can mean the difference between feeling you’re understood and being insulted. “High-involvement” speakers interrupt or talk along with someone else to signal their enthusiasm...
A psychiatric home health worker is curious about the use of nuthouse to mean “a mental health facility.” This term goes back to the turn of the 20th century. The word nuts itself once had an extremely positive connotation, referring to...
Please add law enforcement “speed/etc traps” to “Rice Bowls”.
It is an often used description for motor vehicle traffic zones that have questionable/not obvious restrictions on motor vehicles and motorists.
They appear to have more to do with fund raising than safety.
I’ve read that at least one community, on a state highway between two larger cities, abused motorists to the extent that a state law was passed to limit their income from traffic related fines to a certain percentage of their operating budget.
Examples:
– Highway #41 in North Ft. Meyers, FL.
– Anywhere in Pantego, or Dalworthington Gardens, TX
Anotherpossible origin of this metaphor – See “Sand Pebbles”; as When Holman refuses unnecessary services he could provide himself- e.g. a shave and is is rebuked with
Hey don’t take away his rice bowl.