boom or bust
Feast or famine
Boom or bust describes a pattern of dramatic swings between prosperity and collapse, with nothing in between.
The phrase characterizes volatile industries, economies, or ventures that offer only extremes: Oil towns have always been boom or bust.
It implies high risk and instability—fortunes made quickly can vanish just as fast.
Prolonged economic decline
- expansionIncrease in scope
- contractionReduction in size
- bubbleAir-filled film sphere
- crashSudden violent impact
downturn · upturn · volatility · fluctuation · speculation · overheating · correction · rally
Good fortune, success
- bankruptcyLegal status when insolvent
- windfallUnanticipated lucky gain
- ruinComplete destruction or collapse
- fortuneWealth or destiny
destitution · riches · insolvency · triumph · collapse · jackpot · liquidation · profit
recession
Prolonged economic decline
- expansionIncrease in scope
- contractionReduction in size
- bubbleAir-filled film sphere
crash · downturn · upturn · volatility · fluctuation · speculation · overheating · correction · rally · slump
prosperity
Good fortune, success
- bankruptcyLegal status when insolvent
- windfallUnanticipated lucky gain
- ruinComplete destruction or collapse
fortune · destitution · riches · insolvency · triumph · collapse · jackpot · liquidation · profit · loss
- Either/Oryes or no, true or false, on or off, in or out, up or down
- binary statesyes, no, true, false, on
- crunch timecrunch time, do or die, do-or-die, last chance, now or never
boom or buststeady growth
Sustained incremental increase
stability · sustainable growth · even keel · slow and steady · equilibrium
boom or bustslow and steady wins the race
Patience outperforms haste
risk-averse · diversification · hedging · playing it safe · long-term planning
boom or bustlow-risk
Minimal potential for harm
risk-averse · playing it safe · hedged · diversified · cautious
boom, bust, booms, boomed, booming, boomer, boomers, busts, busted