Jump on the gravy train

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Meaning

Join or exploit a situation that offers easy money, benefits or advancement, often with a suggestion of opportunism or unfair advantage.

Origin

'Gravy train' is American slang from around the start of the 20th century. Gravy had developed figurative senses including an extra benefit, easy profit and graft; the train image turned that continuing source of gain into something one could board or ride. Merriam-Webster cites a newspaper use of 'gravy train' from 1900, earlier than its dictionary's 1914 first-known-use label. Claims that railway workers coined the expression for an easy, well-paid run are widely repeated but are not needed to explain the documented metaphor and lack firm contemporary support.

Research Sources

  1. Thanksgiving Food Related Phrases: Cold Turkey, Gravy Train, and More Merriam-Webster
  2. gravy train Merriam-Webster
  3. origin and early instances of 'gravy train' Word Histories

Variants

  • Get on the gravy train
  • Ride the gravy train
  • Gravy train

Usage Examples

  • Several consultants jumped on the gravy train when the subsidy programme expanded.
  • The inquiry asked whether contractors had been riding a gravy train at taxpayers' expense.
  • Investors rushed to get on the gravy train before the temporary incentive ended.

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