zombie economy
n.— «Yuen Pau Woo was the economist responsible for Japan in Singapore’s central bank when the Japanese bubble—helped by a run-up in real estate prices that made Park Ave. co-ops look affordable—caused the world’s second biggest economy to burst. “It became what was known as the zombie economy,” says Woo, now CEO of the Vancouver-based Asia Pacific Foundation think-tank. “Many people look back and see that it was a mistake that they didn’t act quickly enough.”» —“Can U.S. escape zombie economy’s clutch?” by Tony Wong Toronto Star (Canada) Oct. 4, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In Japanese, an irresistibly cute baby might be described with an expression that translates as “Even if I put it in my eye, it wouldn’t hurt.” It’s a form of what psychologists call cute aggression, or the overwhelming urge to squeeze, crush, or...
Martha from Rock Hill, South Carolina, wonders about the phrase She’s got the botts, meaning “she’s pouting.” The botts, also spelled the bots, refers to “a general malaise or moody spell,” and the bot in this case is the same bot in the botfly, a...