Timeline for Idiom for describing an unintended benefit
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
11 events
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| Jun 2, 2015 at 21:03 | history | edited | Tushar Raj | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Jun 2, 2015 at 18:41 | history | edited | Tushar Raj | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Jun 2, 2015 at 18:28 | comment | added | Tushar Raj | @talrnu: Agree with you on everything but 'gravy'. It is perfectly apt for unintended gains, even though it's used for intended gains sometimes. Included the other suggestions because gravy is a tad informal. See example in edit. Full transcript here | |
| Jun 2, 2015 at 18:26 | history | edited | Tushar Raj | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Jun 2, 2015 at 18:18 | comment | added | talrnu | To put it another way, there's a (perhaps subtle) difference between unexpected and unintended. | |
| Jun 2, 2015 at 18:15 | comment | added | talrnu | IMO these all describe extra gains, not unintended gains. In terms of money, for example, every dollar gained was intended, even if it's "extra" or beyond the original target. If my organization's gains also yield increased stability throughout the market, that's an unintended gain. I'd be hesitant to use any of these terms to describe that. | |
| Jun 2, 2015 at 16:14 | comment | added | shipr | +1 for gravy. Almost all the other suggestions, including windfall, can also be said of situations where no action on my part is required. | |
| Jun 2, 2015 at 10:31 | comment | added | Tushar Raj | @TimRomano: Agreed, it doesn't explicitly imply 'side-effect of my own actions'. That's why it was my 2nd suggestion. I feel it works in some cases, though. "I expected to stock to go up, but not this much. This 10k is a windfall', something like that. (Buying the stock was my own action, returns were unexpectedly high.) | |
| Jun 2, 2015 at 10:13 | comment | added | TimR | +1. I think windfall can be used figuratively to refer to any good fortune, not financial only. But it can only be used if it comes "out of the blue", that is, is not a side-effect of one's own actions. | |
| Jun 2, 2015 at 7:54 | history | edited | Tushar Raj | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Jun 2, 2015 at 7:49 | history | answered | Tushar Raj | CC BY-SA 3.0 |