Definitions by Joe Rodolico

betel nut beauty 

A woman selling betel nuts(Areca catechu)from roadside stands in Taiwan. The women may vary in appearance from sexy and scantily clad to conservative and matronly. Also known as binlang beauties.

Stanley almost rear-ended the car in front of him when he stared at a betel nut beauty in a microskirt instead of minding the traffic.

betel nut beauty by Joe Rodolico January 16, 2008

ninja loan 

An acronym for a loan given to a person designated as "No income, no job or assets;" hence - N-I-N-J-A.

The bank's ninja loans have ruined its credit rating. Now, no other bank will lend it money.

ninja loan by Joe Rodolico September 23, 2007

farmland bubble

A situation in which farmland prices skyrocket due to speculation in the futures market in one or more crops. Asset bubbles form when too much money finds its way into one area of the market. The bubble is considered to be excessive, and, therefore, not sustainable in the long run.

Farmers are planting more and more corn, because the demand for ethanol is creating a farmland bubble by raising the value of their land to previously unheard of heights.

farmland bubble by Joe Rodolico April 11, 2007

economic bubble 

A phenomenon in economics in which too much loose cash finds its way into an area of the market, e.g., stocks, housing, dot-com, etc., resulting in a buying frenzy that leads to wildly inflated prices. Economic activity in those areas affected is not sustainable in the long run, so large numbers of late investors eventually go bankrupt.

We were warned of an economic bubble, but bought high-priced shares anyway thinking we could unload them on some poor sap before the bubble burst. Boy, were we wrong!

economic bubble by Joe Rodolico February 12, 2007

karaoke

Singing without a live orchestra or band. Originally meaning "without orchestra," it is a combination of Japanese "kara" meaning "empty/bare-handed" as in "karate", and the "okee" sound from the first syllable of "orchestra" as pronounced by Japanese.

The guy who thought up karaoke created a bar owner's dream, because as patrons provide their own entertainment by singing along with a machine, management saves a fortune by not hiring talented musicians.

karaoke by Joe Rodolico February 11, 2007

H-Hour 

A redundancy in military jargon signifying the exact hour for an operation to begin. Big "H" for "big hour".

The invasion of the enemy held island began at H-Hour, 05:00.

H-Hour by Joe Rodolico February 10, 2007

Tierney

A title of honor for an extremely attractive, single female in sixth-century Ireland. Voting was held in small villages.

Her beauty, charm and innate breeding won her the title of Tierney of the village.

Tierney by Joe Rodolico January 31, 2007