on the gravy train
a project, situation or job which promises easy profit
TRANSLATION
on the gravy train = das schnelle Geld machen
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
"The Drug War GRAVY TRAIN - How the White House rewarded U.S. News, Seventeen, and other magazines for publishing anti-drug articles."
(Headline: Daniel Forbes in Politics 2000 - 13th Jan 2001)
(Headline: Daniel Forbes in Politics 2000 - 13th Jan 2001)
Did you
know?
gravy train
On Pink Floyd's 1975 album "Wish You Were Here" the song "Have a Cigar" repeats the line: "And did we tell you the name of the game, boy, we call it riding the gravy train."
'Gravy' is the hot, brown sauce we put on meat dishes to enhance their flavour and has had figurative uses referring to 'good thing' for over a century.
From the 1860s to the mid-twentieth century, the word was used in theatrical slang for an easy role, especially in low comedy.
The main senses nowadays refer to money or profit - this meaning also arose soon after the turn of the century.
'Gravy train' is a metaphorical application which specifically means 'a source or condition of excessive and especially undeserved ease, advantage, or profit.'
The phrase 'ride the gravy train' means 'to exploit a source of easy profit or advantage'. It is used in similar phrases as well, such as "fall off the gravy train". The construction dates from the 1910s and appears to have become popular quite quickly.
By the way, Pink Floyd named themselves after two American blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
On Pink Floyd's 1975 album "Wish You Were Here" the song "Have a Cigar" repeats the line: "And did we tell you the name of the game, boy, we call it riding the gravy train."
'Gravy' is the hot, brown sauce we put on meat dishes to enhance their flavour and has had figurative uses referring to 'good thing' for over a century.
From the 1860s to the mid-twentieth century, the word was used in theatrical slang for an easy role, especially in low comedy.
The main senses nowadays refer to money or profit - this meaning also arose soon after the turn of the century.
'Gravy train' is a metaphorical application which specifically means 'a source or condition of excessive and especially undeserved ease, advantage, or profit.'
The phrase 'ride the gravy train' means 'to exploit a source of easy profit or advantage'. It is used in similar phrases as well, such as "fall off the gravy train". The construction dates from the 1910s and appears to have become popular quite quickly.
By the way, Pink Floyd named themselves after two American blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
