DAISY CHAIN. Collusion among buyers who bid up the price of a stock and then sell to unsuspecting investors; linking together a series of equipment.
“Some PC makers defend the skimpy number of USB ports on the grounds that you can supposedly ‘daisy-chain’ a large number of USB devices, by hooking up only one to the PC's USB port and then linking the devices to each other. But almost none of the USB peripherals I've seen support this feature.” (Wall Street Journal, < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" prefix="st1" namespace="">
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DANGLER. A sign hanging down from a shelf designed to catch the attention of shoppers.
DARWINISM. See ECONOMIC DARWINISM.
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DATING. Extending credit beyond the usual agreement.
DAY ORDER. A stock market order directing execution that day or otherwise canceling the order.
DAY TRADER. Stock market speculator who buys and sells in the same day. With the advent of Internet trading and reduced trading fees, day traders are an increasing presence in
DEAD CATS BOUNCE. See EVEN DEAD CATS BOUNCE.
DEAD HAND. Clauses in corporate director contracts which authorize only the existing board of directors to remove a company’s “poison pill.” Thus, the old board of directors, even if removed by a takeover still have power over the company.
DEAD IN THE WATER. Unable to move, stuck (nautical).
“Yet even as Mr. [Ron Wyden] is telling
DEAD ON ARRIVAL (DOA). Not viable. Frequently, the president’s budget plan is declared “dead on arrival” by the opposition party in Congress. In medicine, “dead on arrival” refers to the patient’s condition when reaching the hospital.
“Under any other set of circumstances, a program such as this might have been dead on arrival because trial lawyers would have howled that it was a form of ‘tort reform.’ Ironically, the Fund may ultimately serve as a prime example of a compensation program far superior to the traditional tort system.” (Wall Street Journal,
DEAD PRESIDENTS. Money. Most, but not all of the
DEAD TIME. Time not working. When an assembly line is temporarily halted, workers have dead time.
DEAD WOOD. People who are part of an organization but no longer contribute to the firm’s output. Before DOWNSIZING in corporate
“Tenure guarantees employment for life at the lowest common denominator. There is no incentive to produce once you are tenured and, hence, the ‘dead wood.’ Given a university's limited financial resources, tenure does so at the expense of hiring new faculty (be they young, middle-aged or elderly).” (Wall Street Journal,
DECERTIFICATION. Cancellation of union representation by employees.
DECISION TREE. Flow chart to facilitate analysis of a complex problem.
“Described as business school-style ‘decision trees,’ the charts reflect legal and political constraints facing the administration.” (Wall Street Journal,
DECRUITMENT. Termination from employment. The opposite of recruitment.
DEEP-DISCOUNT BOND. A bond sold at a price well below face value.
DEEP DIVE (TO). To research a subject in-depth.
DEEP IN/OUT OF THE MONEY. A call option with an exercise price significantly higher than the current market price is considered deep out of the money.
DEEP POCKETS. Companies or investors with lots of money.
“Such blame-shifting is useful to Ms. Nappier and Mr. Blumenthal, who have ambitions for higher office. Ms. Nappier would not want a telecom fiasco on her resume if she runs for governor on a fiscal responsibility platform. So shout ‘fraud,’ throw up a lot of legal smoke, and hope that a jury of financial amateurs is fooled enough to go along with raiding someone else's deep pocket.” (Wall Street Journal,
DEEP SIX (TO). Dispose of. A military term referring to discarding something at sea, where it will not be found.
DE FACTO. In fact (Latin). A situation where customary practices have become the accepted standard without rules or regulation.
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DE JURE. By law (Latin).
DELI. Delicatessen; meat, cheese, and sandwich store.
DELINQUENCY. When loan payments are overdue.
DELIVERABLES. Parts of a project available for delivery to the customer. Many consulting projects have a schedule of deliverables.
DELIVER THE GOODS (TO). Perform, come through, succeed.
“‘It's the same as in politics: A political party can go only so far on a patriotic platform. Ultimately, if they don't deliver the goods, voters give them the boot,’ says Mickey Chak, planning director of DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc. China.” (Wall Street Journal,
DEMAND-PULL INFLATION. Inflation caused by excessive demand, usually brought on by overly stimulative fiscal or monetary policies.
DEMAND WENT SOFT. People no longer wanted the product.
DE-MARKETING. Rationing limited quantities of a good, thereby restricting demand.
DE NOVO. Anew (Latin). Ignoring past problems or performance.
“If a judge chooses not to follow those guidelines for whatever reason, their rulings would be subject to de novo review by appellate courts, without any of the messy questions of deference often accorded jury determinations.” (Wall Street Journal,
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD). Federal agency that provides incentives and financing for housing programs in the
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL). Federal agency that oversees labor laws and programs. Usually considered a lesser White House Cabinet appointment, first-term
DEPOSITORY INSTITUTIONS DEREGULATION AND MONETARY CONTROL ACT (DIDMCA). 1980 federal legislation that drastically changed banking rules, including gradual elimination of interest-rate ceilings and restrictions on stock brokerage firms offering checking accounts. Among bankers it is referred to as the “1980 Act” or DIDMCA.
DERAIL (TO). Wreck, throw off course.
“Australian Prime Minister John Howard warned that the Labor Party's ‘unnecessary’ and ‘heavy-handed’ changes to the agreement could derail the accord.” (Wall Street Journal,
DESCENDING TOPS. A stock price pattern where each successive peak price is lower than the preceding peak.
DESK JOCKEY. Office worker.
“He clearly chafed at authority and believed that he could do things better. He wasn't a ‘subservient desk jockey,’ as he puts it, and his bosses didn't appreciate it. He needed to be an entrepreneur.” (Wall Street Journal,
DEUTSCHE MARK (DM). Until 1999, the unit of German currency.
DEVIL’S ADVOCATE (LET ME PLAY). Ponder or predict criticism of a project as a means to improve the quality of the proposal.
“Mr. Monti's handling of the Microsoft decision reflects his response to the court's criticisms. The former Italian economics professor introduced new checks and balances in antitrust reviews. For example, Mr. Monti subjected an early draft of the commission's decision to an internal ‘devil's advocate’ panel of officials who weren't part of the Microsoft-case team.” (Wall Street Journal,
DEVOLUTION. Delegation of power by a central government to local governments. Often power and responsibility is transferred without sufficient funds to maintain the programs.
“Hardly anyone today, Democrat or Republican, is calling for an immediate withdrawal from
DIALING AND SMILING. Telephone solicitation of new customers. See also COLD CALL.
DIALOGUE MARKETING. Marketing programs designed to build a relationship with the customer. See also RELATIONSHIP MARKETING.
DICKER (TO). Negotiate.
DIE OR MOVE AWAY (TO) (DOMA). A customer-oriented company wants to lose customers only if they DOMA.
DIFFERENT BREED. Different type; unusual.
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DIFFERENTIALLY ABLED. POLITICALLY CORRECT manner of describing a person with handicaps.
DIGITAL JEWELRY. Electronic devices people wear including cell phones, pagers, and personal digital assistants.
DIGERATI. Computer experts; a pun on the word “literati” (lovers of literature).
“It's amusing: 99% of the digerati who rave about [Google] couldn't distinguish Google results from those of Yahoo or Ask Jeeves if presented with them blindly, a la the Pepsi Challenge. Googlephiles may think they are exhibiting technical sophistication by their loyalty, but what they are really proving is the extent to which they have been conditioned to respond to logos and brands, just like street kids with their sneakers.” (Wall Street Journal,
DILBERT/DILBERT PRINCIPLE. Referring to a popular 1990s cartoon by Scott Adams which finds humor in corporate absurdities.
“The Dilbert Principle is adapted from the PETER PRINCIPLE, a popular management aphorism of a few years ago. Mr. Adams observes that the most ineffective workers are systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage: management.” (Wall Street Journal, May 30, 1996, p. A11)
DIME A DOZEN. Very cheap.
DIME STORE. Business selling low-priced goods.
“Which is why Sam Greenblatt, a Computer Associates senior vice president, wore a giant penguin suit at the software maker's recent annual confab in
DINGBAT. A dumb person. The term was frequently used by ARCHIE BUNKER to describe his wife on the 1970s situation comedy All in the Family. It is considered crude and sexist language.
DINGER. A success (baseball).
DINOSAURS. Large companies that have not changed with the times.
“The PRI's chairman, Roberto Madrazo, a leader of the so-called dinosaur wing of the old PRI machine, selected Mr. Hank for the Tijuana race, on which, many Mexican political analysts say, Mr. Madrazo is tying his hopes of consolidating the PRI's presidential nomination two years from now.” (Wall Street Journal,
DIRTY LAUNDRY. Questionable or scandalous past activities. See also SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET.
“‘Prices of asset-management companies have not come down in relation with the problems the industry has,’ he said. ‘We would hardly want to take on somebody's dirty laundry at this time.’" (Wall Street Journal,
DIRTY TRICKS/POOL. Dishonest or underhanded practices (referring to the game of billiards).
“Also, don't give out the names of references indiscriminately or prematurely. One of the oldest dirty tricks in the search business is for a recruiter to feign interest in a candidate simply to gather references as future leads, says Daniel Parrillo, president of Strategi LLC, a small high-tech recruiting firm in Stockton, Calif.” (Wall Street Journal,
DISCONNECT. A conflict or inconsistency.
“There's ‘a disconnect between landlords and tenants,’ says Mr. DeMeola. The results make clear that ‘before landlords put a waterfall in the building, they should be putting in extra security’ measures and ‘upgrading life-safety systems and emergency lighting,’ he says.” (Wall Street Journal,
DISCONTINUOUS CHANGE. Completely rethinking the way things are done in an organization.
“Discontinuous change threatens authority because it’s the idea that the best way to go about doing something may not be the way it’s currently done…. ” (Across the Board, Nov./Dec. 1993, p. 51)
DISCOUNT (TO). Lower the price.
DISCOUNT WINDOW. Term referring to Federal Reserve short-term loans to banks.
“Under the old system, the Fed lent through its ‘discount window’ to banks that had exhausted other sources of funds, but banks became reluctant to use it for fear it would suggest they were in trouble. Many days, there is less than $100 million in discount-window loans outstanding. That leapt to almost $46 billion after the
DISINTERMEDIATION. The removal of intermediaries from the manufacturing to consumer process.
“That is where the media-disintermediation business comes in. Disintermediation means getting rid of the middleman, and right now, cable and satellite companies are middlemen because TV is whatever they say it is.” (Wall Street Journal,
DIVERSIFICATION. Increasing the variety of investments or products, usually as a way to reduce risk.
DIVERSITY. With reference to minorities, ethnic groups.
DIVVY UP. To divide up among the participants.
DOCTOR (TO)/DOCTORING. Reference to altering records (implies illegal or unethical activity).
“Wall Street circulated that memo yesterday morning after the second-largest buyer of
DODGE REPORTS. F. W. Dodge monthly report of new construction activity in the
DOG. Unsuccessful product; a low-growth product with a low market share.
“‘Of course,’ he says with a smile, ‘a company may be debt-free for two reasons. If it’s a dog, it’s because no one will lend them money.’” (Wall Street Journal, May 28, 1996, p. R18)
DOG-AND-PONY SHOW. Simple, planned presentation; too often dog-and-pony shows insult the intelligence of their audience. See also MUSHROOM JOB.
“K-Mart hasn't yet held an analyst or investor day to discuss its strategy and has no plans to hold one soon. It hasn't attended investor conferences or put up a tent at any dog-and-pony shows. Unlike the vast majority of retailers, it doesn't issue weekly or monthly sales updates.” (Wall Street Journal,
DOG-EAT-DOG. Highly competitive.
“Indeed, meeting wave after wave of Iraqi exiles, he has keen insights into the dog-eat-dog psychology of survival for ordinary Iraqis. ‘I eat, drink and sleep
DOGS OF THE DOW. The lowest performing stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. One stock market strategy advocates buying the dogs of the Dow each year on the assumption that the worst performing stocks will do better in the upcoming year.
DOLLAR DRAIN. The impact on the
DO LUNCH (TO). Arrange to have lunch together.
DOMAIN NAME. Internet address.
DOMINO EFFECT. One action causing a series of impacts.
“In 2002, Bethlehem Steel off-loaded $3.6 billion in unfunded pensions on the PBGC in the biggest hit to the agency so far. A United Airlines dump would be almost double that. If that's not bad enough, the PBGC itself had a deficit of more than $11 billion last year. Since the government stands behind the PBGC to make up the difference, if United caused a domino effect in the rest of the industry, the result could be tens of billions of dollars in a bailout underwritten by taxpayers.” (Wall Street Journal,
DONE DEAL. An agreement even though a contract has not been signed; FAIT ACCOMPLI; a certainty.
“The Bendix transfer to Federal-Mogul isn't a done deal. In July, Honeywell Chief Executive Dave Cote said the transfer was ‘very iffy.’ Federal-Mogul has said that the Honeywell transaction would be completed only if Honeywell received an injunction from the federal bankruptcy court shielding it from these liabilities.” (Wall Street Journal,
DON’T FIGHT THE TAPE. Do not try to go against the direction of the market.
DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH. Do not expect anything to happen quickly.
DON’T STEP ON MY AIRHOSE. Do not interfere with what I am doing. Employees often fear managers will step on their airhose, making it more difficult to do their job.
DON’T TAKE ANY WOODEN NICKELS. Be careful, take care of yourself. The phrase was a fad in the 1920s.
DO ONE’S HOMEWORK (TO). Prepare.
“On the Road: How to conduct a long-distance job search: -- Do your homework before moving to an expensive city. Learn about the local job market by reading area newspapers and joining professional associations.” (Wall Street Journal,
DOTTED LINE. Place for signature on a form or contract.
“Indeed, all most investors can hope for is the future -- and that is squarely where Mr. Immelt's eyes were as he repeatedly signed on the dotted line last week.” (Wall Street Journal,
DOUBLE BOTTOM. Stock market chart with two declines followed by a recovery.
DOUBLE-DIPPING. Practice of retiring, collecting a pension, and then starting a second career.
DOUBLE INCOME, NO KID (DINK). Working couples who do not have children.
“DENKS -- Dual Employed, No Kids -- are childless working couples, and media attention has ballyhooed them and their almost identical twins -- the DINKS -- as the wave of the future. (DINKS stands for Double Income, No Kids.) But a new Census Bureau report reveals that the great growth over the past decade has been in DEWKS (pronounced dukes) -- Dual Employed, With Kids.” (Wall Street Journal, July 21, 1988, p. 1)
DOUBLE-TIME. Quickly (military).
DOUBLE WITCHING DAY. When two related option contracts expire on the same day, often creating added trading in the contracts.
DOUGH. money.
DOVETAILS. Links together.
“The rule's progress could dovetail with an Oct. 1 deadline for the SEC to report its progress on fund-disclosure issues set by Reps. Michael G. Oxley (R., Ohio) and Richard H. Baker (R., La.) in a July 30 letter to SEC Chairman William H. Donaldson.” (Wall Street Journal,
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE (DJIA). Weighted average of the prices of thirty stocks considered representative of the
DOWN. not working.
DOWN AND DIRTY. Hastily written first draft.
DOWN AND OUT. Broke (having no money).
DOWN IN THE DUMPS. Depressed.
DOWN THE DRAIN/TUBE. Lost, wasted.
“‘I understand that in a country like
DOWN THE ROAD. In the future.
DOWN TIME. Any period when workers or machines are idle.
“Mr. Keker, who often chewed on one arm of his red-framed reading glasses in court, spent the down time during deliberations reading books in a back corner of the courtroom, including ‘Elizabeth Costello,’ by Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee." (Wall Street Journal,
DOWN TO BRASS TACKS. Dealing with essentials.
DOWN TO THE WIRE. Last-minute, completed just before the deadline (horse racing).
“The race between the two went down to the wire and depended heavily on where yields on short-term Treasury bills closed at the end of trading Wednesday, which was the final day of the first half of 2004.” (Wall Street Journal,
DOWNLINE. Sellers in a MULTILEVEL MARKETING chain whose sales generate commissions.
DOWNSIDE. Negative.
“‘The downside of a [permanent] two-tier wage system is that it creates, in essence, two separate work forces,’ says Jim Micali, chairman and president of Michelin North America Inc., of
DOWNSIZE (TO)/DOWNSIZING. Reduce the size of a company.
“Aside from tax measures, Ms. Arroyo asked Congress to pass legislation that would arm her with the power to ‘downsize’ the government and provide a safety net for public-sector workers who may be displaced by the ‘re-engineering’ process.” (Wall Street Journal,
DOWNWARDLY
DRAG YOUR FEET (TO). Delay, deliberately complete a task slowly.
DRAW. Payment against commission; receiving part of a loan.
DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND. To make a final offer or decision.
DRAWBACK. Repayment of a customs duty when goods are exported again.
DRAWBACKS. Problems.
“Site also provides tips on using pedometers. Comment: One drawback: Pedometer was hard to open -- and sometimes we popped its back off instead, exposing the electronic works inside.” (Wall Street Journal,
DRAW DOWN (TO)/DRAWDOWN. Reduce; amount that has been borrowed under a loan agreement.
“Borrowers who don't draw down their lines may face a ‘nonusage’ fee, typically $50. Homeowners who pay off the line within the first three years may also be hit with an early termination fee of $250 to $600.” (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 14, 2003, p. 4)
DRAYAGE. The charge by a trucking company for pick up and delivery of an ocean shipping container.
DRESSING UP A PORTFOLIO. Practice by mutual fund managers of selling stocks about which there has been bad news, or buying stocks that have received positive news, so that the quarterly report will look good.
DRINK FROM A FIRE HOSE. To be overwhelmed with information.
DRIVE HOME (TO). Emphasize.
“‘The basic message that the administration drives home is that Americans can compete with anybody if given a chance,’ Mr. Zoellick says. ‘It's to our advantage through trade agreements to level the playing field.’" (Wall Street Journal,
DRIVER. An important factor influencing the outcome of a situation.
DROP A BUNDLE (TO). Lose or spend a lot of money.
“Attracted at least partly by the promise of globalization, a lot of wealthy organizations want to get into the action and are willing and able to drop a bundle to get in.” (Forbes, Nov. 21, 1994, p. 244).
DROP THE BALL (TO). Fail to do what one said one would.
DRUM ROLL. The signal that an announcement is about to be made.
DRUM UP. To secure or find.
DUAL BANKING. Regulatory system in the
DUAL-CAREER MARRIAGE. Husband and wife both work (especially, both professionally).
DUCKS IN A ROW (TO GET ONE’S). To get organized.
“Last Friday's resignation of Ambassador Jack Pritchard for ‘personal reasons’ suggests that the Bush administration may finally be getting its ducks in a row for discussions of the North Korean nuclear menace in Beijing tomorrow.” (Wall Street Journal,
DUE DILIGENCE. Thoroughly investigated (legal).
"Says Charley Polachi, a Sherborn,
DUMP (TO). Sell in foreign markets at prices below domestic market prices.
DUMP BIN. Display box holding products loosely dumped inside.
DUMPING. The practice of selling goods in international markets at prices lower than those in domestic markets. Dumping is a controversial practice in international trade with many accusations made, but difficulty in proving.
DUN (TO). Exert pressure for payment of past-due accounts.
DUN & BRADSTREET (D&B). Established credit evaluation company. Creditors and potential investors will often ask for a company’s D&B report.
DUPE (TO). Duplicate; deceive.
DUTCH AUCTION. Pricing method used in the
“That's the question that launches a thousand news stories on IPO day and causes the breath of CNBC anchors to become labored and irregular. Google's goal, by adopting a ‘Dutch auction,’ was to eliminate a good deal of suspense from the process. Its stock would be introduced at a real market price rather than a blind man's approximation. No pop, no instant wealth, no opportunity for lucrative favoritism.” (Wall Street Journal,
DYNAMIC SCORING. Political/economic forecasting technique that assumes that budget reductions stimulate economic activity thereby further reducing budget deficits.
“Advocates of dynamic scoring have tried to make the most of these tepid results, calling the report a good first step. ‘You've got to crawl before you can walk, and you've got to walk before you can run,’ says economist Bruce Bartlett, a senior fellow at the