A.Word.A.Day --gravy train

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Today's Word

gravy train

PRONUNCIATION:

(GRAY-vee trayn)

MEANING:

noun: A situation offering a lot of money or benefits for little work.

ETYMOLOGY:

The word gravy has been used for easily acquired money. Eventually it began to be used in the phrase: to ride the gravy train. Earliest documented use: 1895. See also sinecure.

USAGE:

“Plum overseas foreign postings are handed out to ex-federal cabinet members and former premiers, sometimes on merit, sometimes to get them out of the political sphere, and sometimes just as a gratuitous reward. It’s a seat on the gravy train paid for by taxpayers.”
Editorial; Sunday Herald (Melbourne, Australia); Sep 3, 2023.

See more usage examples of gravy train in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

There's a schizoid quality to our relationship with animals, in which sentiment and brutality exist side by side. Half the dogs in America will receive Christmas presents this year, yet few of us pause to consider the miserable life of the pig -- an animal easily as intelligent as a dog -- that becomes the Christmas ham. -Michael Pollan, professor and writer (b. 6 Feb 1955)

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