fat cat
noun phrase

- someone who has a lot of money, especially someone in charge of a company who has the power to increase their own pay

- If you refer to a businessman or politician as a fat cat, you are indicating that you disapprove of the way they use their wealth and power

- any affluent person who is perceived to have profited from the labour of others

- a person who has become lazy or self-satisfied as the result of privilege or advantage

Cambridge Dictionary / Collins Cobuild / Dictionary Com

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ORIGIN

The phrase was first used in the 1920s in the United States to describe rich political donors. By the middle of the 20th century, the term was being applied more widely to any affluent person who is perceived to have profited from the labour of others.

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RIP-OFF SALARIES

Thomas Minder is known in Switzerland for having filed a landmark 2006 initiative titled “Eidgenössische Volksinitiative gegen die Abzockerei” (Public Initiative Against Rip-Off Salaries).

This proposed that executive remuneration in public Swiss companies be more tightly controlled by shareholders. The initiative, one of the world’s most restrictive on corporate governance, was finally accepted by 67.9% of the population and all Swiss cantons on 3 March 2013.

Some seven years later, disquiet about executive remuneration still simmers in the background. The topic remains highly controversial and executive pay in Switzerland remains one of the highest in the world.

Source: LawReviews / Ethical Boardroom

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SYNONYMS

tycoon, mogul, magnate, baron, richling, deep pocket, person of means, person of substance, FAT CAT, plutocrat, Croesus, Midas, silk stocking, bankroller, loadsamoney, money-spinner, nabob, Mr. Moneybags, gazillionaire, squillionaire, zillionaire

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“On a lighter note, have you seen ’40 FAT CAT Memes The best hilariously tubby cats’…?”

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THANKS to Ursula for suggesting today’s word

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HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations at:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-3

Paul Smith