dead elephant 

A sports team, player, boss, or coworker that's so incompetent, they stink like the rotting corpse of a dead elephant.

I've been a fan of theirs since Roberto Clemente roamed Forbes Field, but today's dead elephant Pittsburgh Pirates are the laughing stock of MLB.

dead elephant by El Gringo Del Mingo July 7, 2010

Dead Elephant Bounce 

A short-lived and delusional surge in the stock market or economy that occurs under conservative leadership. This usually happens after a crash, scandal, or policy blunder. It mimics a “dead cat bounce” but with heavier consequences, more denial, and louder press conferences. Symbolically named after the GOP elephant, it represents the false hope injected into markets by tax cuts, culture wars, or trickle-down talking points that no longer land.

Conservatives passed that stimulus for billionaires and called it a recovery. Dead elephant bounce if I’ve ever seen one.

Dead Elephant Bounce by Jayley Weathers April 20, 2025