Brown M&M

A seemingly trivial indicator that more potentially serious problems exist in a given situation. Synonymous with "canary in a coal mine"

Originated by the rock group Van Halen in the early 1980's. At the time, Van Halen had an elaborate stage show designed by the band itself, requiring substantial technical expertise to set up. In order to determine if the promoter had actually read - and followed - the contract, a clause stating that a bowl of M&M candies must be provided, with the brown ones removed upon pain of forfeiture of the show at full price. At the time, it was thought that the band was being petty and demanding (a rumor that the band allowed to perpetuate), but the real reason was to set a quality control measure that, if present, would signify that the specifics of the contract weren't being followed, requiring a thorough, detailed inspection of the setup with cancellation (at full pay) soon following after discovery of unsafe conditions.

"Yeah, Diamond Dave threw a fit after he found a brown M&M in the bowl."
"I know, they had to replace the whole floor!"

2👍 2👎

MAGA

Informal acronym for "Make Attorneys Get Attorneys".

The use of "MAGA", in this sense, refers to attorneys who face punitive action for fraud or professional misconduct, either by the justice system or through state bar associations.

After the 2020 Presidential Election, some attorneys, at the behest and encouragement of then-President Donald Trump, sought to overturn the results of that election by presenting false, fabricated, or fraudulent evidence, with the intention of keeping Trump in office, despite losing to Joe Biden. Most, if not all, the attorneys involved faced (or are facing) either legal or professional sanctions.

Among the first users of "MAGA" in the "Make Attorneys Get Attorneys" sense was attorney and political commentator Ben Meiselas.

"MAGA attorney Rudy Giuliani has to pay almost $150 million to two women he defamed"