welfare wall
n.— «Flaherty’s target is a situation often called “the welfare wall.” As a result of increased taxes and reduced income support from government programs, a typical single parent with one child who takes a low-income job can lose almost 80 cents of each dollar earned, according to a policy paper the finance minister released in November. In addition, the parent could also lose benefits such as subsidized housing and prescription drugs while at the same time being weighed down with new expenses arising from his or her job, the paper noted. “There are situations where somebody receiving social benefits will go to work and the net benefit for them will be $1.08 an hour.”» —“Working poor to get tax break in budget” by Les Whittington in Ottawa Toronto Star (Canada) Feb. 28, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The expression to run the traps means “to perform due diligence” or “solicit a wide variety of opinions” or “investigate every angle thoroughly.” This metaphor derives from the literal sense of running the traps, which refers to hunting and fishing...
The casual phrase good enough for who it’s for suggests that something wasn’t done perfectly, but was done well enough. This saying is not all that common, but it’s been around for at least a century. Similar expressions used in the construction...