the.com/gravy train
A job so easy and lucrative it feels illegal, but isn't.
means An easy source of money or benefits that pays well out of proportion to the effort required.
from American slang from the early 1900s, built on 'gravy' as a long-standing metaphor for easy extra money — the tasty, effortless bonus on top of the meat you already had. 'Gravy train' pictures that easy money as a train you simply hop aboard and ride, no heavy lifting required; railroad workers reportedly used the phrase for a cushy, well-paid run before it spread into general slang for any good deal with little work attached.
- origin
- 1920s slang, gravy meant easy money
- railroad logic
- steady income, minimal effort, smooth ride
- usage today
- usually said right before it ends