biomagnify v.— «When consumed by living organisms and passed along the food chain, the pollutants become “biomagnified” and can reach dangerously high concentrations, a particular risk if / when their host fishes find their way onto our...
catch a falling knife v. phr.— «The question for Mr. Marks and others is when to start buying in earnest. Early buyers risk “catching a falling knife,” in market parlance, if prices keep tumbling. But late buyers risk losing out on the...
get-there-itis n.— «Americans suffer from “get-there-itis.” Behind the wheel, the fixation on “getting there” ASAP causes people to speed, run red lights and weave through traffic. When nothing must stand in their...
scraper n.— «Without those ongoing improvement costs, a house runs the risk of being what the building industry calls a “scraper.” That’s a house with so much deferred maintenance that it’s cheaper to scrape it off the...
social dumping n.— «A further risk is that disgruntled incumbent suppliers might retaliate by introducing some form of poison pill such as a special bonus payment—a hit that the new supplier will have to take. They have also been known to...
laddering n.— «It’s also possible to buy a series of CDs, often referred to as “laddering,” so you’ll have some coming due at fairly frequent intervals, allowing you to renew at higher rates if rates are rising.» —“What...