idealism

bullish Optimistic, hopeful, confident. In the world of finance, a “bull” is an investor who speculates in stocks or commodities in anticipation of a profit to be realized when the market prices increase. Thus, the “bull” believes that the general business climate is or will soon be favorable. Bullish is used in other, non-monetary contexts as well.

A related term, bearish, also derived from stock market jargon, describes a pessimistic outlook. Since a “bear” believes financial conditions are worsening, he may try to sell short, hoping to repurchase the stocks or securities at a lower price at some future date. Since both “bulls” and “bears” often buy the rights to trade stocks on margin, i.e., at a percentage of their true market value, the “bear” may, in effect, sell what he has not yet purchased. It has therefore been conjectured that the origin of bear may lie in the proverb to sell the bearskin before one has caught the bear. As early as 1721, Nathan Bailey’s Universal Etymological English Dictionary included the following: “to sell a bear: to sell what one hath not.”

hitch one’s wagon to a star To aim high, to have high ideals, to be idealistic. Ralph Waldo Emerson apparently coined this metaphor which appeared in his Society and Solitude (1870):

look through rose-colored glasses To be cheerfully optimistic; to see things in a bright, rosy, favorable light. The color of a rose has long connoted optimism, cheerfulness, and promise.

Implicit in this expression is the suggestion that a rosy view is unwarranted, perhaps even detrimental.

Pollyanna An incurable optimist. This expression comes from Eleanor Porter’s book Pollyanna, in which the title character was a cheery little girl whose blitheness and buoyancy raised the spirits of all whom she met. In contemporary usage, however, this term is often applied disparagingly to one who exists in a fool’s paradise.