Joe Rodolico's definitions

betel nut beauty

A woman selling betel nuts(Areca catechu)from roadside stands in Taiwan. The women may vary in appearance from sexy and scantily clad to conservative and matronly. Also known as binlang beauties.

Stanley almost rear-ended the car in front of him when he stared at a betel nut beauty in a microskirt instead of minding the traffic.

by Joe Rodolico January 16, 2008

karaoke

Singing without a live orchestra or band. Originally meaning "without orchestra," it is a combination of Japanese "kara" meaning "empty/bare-handed" as in "karate", and the "okee" sound from the first syllable of "orchestra" as pronounced by Japanese.

The guy who thought up karaoke created a bar owner's dream, because as patrons provide their own entertainment by singing along with a machine, management saves a fortune by not hiring talented musicians.

by Joe Rodolico February 11, 2007

ninja loan

An acronym for a loan given to a person designated as "No income, no job or assets;" hence - N-I-N-J-A.

The bank's ninja loans have ruined its credit rating. Now, no other bank will lend it money.

by Joe Rodolico September 23, 2007

farmland bubble

A situation in which farmland prices skyrocket due to speculation in the futures market in one or more crops. Asset bubbles form when too much money finds its way into one area of the market. The bubble is considered to be excessive, and, therefore, not sustainable in the long run.

Farmers are planting more and more corn, because the demand for ethanol is creating a farmland bubble by raising the value of their land to previously unheard of heights.

by Joe Rodolico April 11, 2007

two-thousandaire

A member of America's class of home-owning families with only two thousand dollars in savings. Deeply in debt, they live from paycheck to paycheck dreading any unforseen financial catastrophies such as a sudden illness or unemployment. First coined by Karen De Coster and Eric Englund.

Taking out a home equity loan might seem like a good idea to a two-thousandaire, unless one gets laid off and ends up penniless.

by Joe Rodolico July 1, 2006