skin in the game
a personal investment at risk of loss
TRANSLATION
skin in the game = etwas zu verlieren haben (bei einem Investment); mit Haut und Haaren drinhängen
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Many politicians and bankers never face the consequences of their actions – but they should, according to Nassim Nicholas Talebin his latest book, SKIN IN THE GAME - how risk should be shared.
The Guardian Book Review
Did you
know?
(to have) skin in the game
(verb) or noun phrase
The idiom "have skin in the game" is used most often in financial investing and in sports betting. It means that you are not just an observer of what is happening. You have a personal stake in the outcome.
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ORIGIN
A term coined by renowned investor Warren Buffett referring to a situation in which high-ranking insiders use their own money to buy stock in the company they are running. Buffett's original intention equated money with skin because losing either would be painful.
The phrase "stake in the result" is also very common, where the stake may be an investment of money, time, effort or even reputation.
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SYNONYMS
He has skin in the game:
- He has a piece of the action
- He has money on the line
- He has something to lose
- He is a stakeholder
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PRACTICE OWAD TODAY
Say something like:
"Investors in new business start-ups always like founders to have SKIN IN THE GAME."
