The opposite of the Midas
touch. A person for whom everything turns to
crap, if (s)he gets involved.
Named after jewellery magnate
Gerald Ratner, who infamously declared his proudcts to be "total
crap" and wouldn't last much "longer than a M&S {Marks & Spencer} prawn sandwich", during a speech to the Insitute of Directors (1991).
Although his comments were meant to be tongue-in-cheek, shares in his company drastically plummeted and he almost bankrupted the company. The speech is often heralded as an example of the value of branding and image over quality.