Chinese

A false or facetious display of obeisance, or an insult disguised as a compliment. A derogatory phrase, it should not be confused with the linguistic or sociological components of compliments as used in Chinese language and culture.

Overtime pay which is calculated at less than an employee's normal hourly rate (usually one-half), rather than one-and-a-half times it, as is usually paid in traditional overtime arrangements. It is a potentially derogatory term, so discretion is advised. Overall, I love having the flexibility to work the hours that I see fit; the only downside is that I only get Chinese overtime when I have to put in more time for a project than usual.

A figurative barrier meant to impede or silence the flow of information between two or more parties so as to stop or limit conflicts of interest from arising, as in investment banking or law firms. An allusion to the Great Wall of China. "Wall" is sometimes capitalized. Because of the sheer size of the company, many departments represent competing clients and interests, so several Chinese walls are in place to make sure no one can be accused of benefitting from insider knowledge.

offensive slang To be exceptionally or exceedingly fat, i.e., having multiple rolls of fat (chins) on one's neck. Intended as a humorous insult, the phrase is a pun on the word chin and the supposed commonness of "Chin" as a Chinese surname. Your mama is so fat, she has more chins than a Chinese phone book!

This might as well be a foreign language, because I don't understand it at all. A variant of the more common phrase "it's all Greek to me." Can you make sense of these instructions? It's all Chinese to me! I tried to listen to the judiciary hearing, but all that legal jargon is all Chinese to me.

A state of utter confusion. This cliché dates from about 1940 and today is considered quite offensive, disparaging the Chinese as disorganized. Nevertheless, it has not yet died out.

A barrier that sets apart conflicting interests within an organization. Analogous to and named for the Great Wall of China, intended to keep out invaders, it has become, according to David Segal of the New York Times (“Chinese Walls, Pocked with Peepholes,” June 14, 2010), a metaphor/cliché for separating the parts of an organization focused on profits from sections concerned with other matters. The usage dates from the 1970s and has been applied not only to financial institutions but to groups of doctors, lawyers, accountants, and other professionals.

A politically incorrect term for chaos. The phrase supposedly originated in the early 1900s. A ship with British officers and a Chinese crew practiced an engine room fire drill. The bucket brigade drew water from the ship's starboard side, carried it to the engine room, and simulated throwing it on the “fire.” Another crew carried the buckets to the main deck and threw the water over the port side. But when orders became confused in translation, the bucket brigade started to draw the water from the starboard side, run over to the port side, and then throw the water overboard, bypassing the engine room completely. A 1960s stunt was for a carload of teenagers of college students to stop at a red light, whereupon at the command “Chinese fire drill,” driver and passengers got out, ran around the car, and returned to their original seats. The same idea is sometimes heard as the equally politically incorrect “Chinese square dance.”