Mother Merrill

11:53 Aug 27, 2009
This question was closed without grading. Reason: No acceptable answer

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Investment / Securities
English term or phrase: Mother Merrill
I wonder what's the origin of the nickname - tons of web-pages mentioning it, but what's the story behind it?

TIA
danya
Local time: 10:05


SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3...is a nickname based on how the company treats (and protects) its brokers.
Derek Gill Franßen
2nickname...
William [Bill] Gray


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
...is a nickname based on how the company treats (and protects) its brokers.


Explanation:
"The Merrill Lynch brokerage firm was affectionately called “Mother Merrill” by its employees. “Mother” Merrill Lynch trained its brokers and treated them well, frowning on any broker who moved to a rival firm. “Mother Merrill” is cited in print from at least 1972; in the 1990s, the nickname “Mother Merrill” became widely used in the financial press."

See http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/moth...

Derek Gill Franßen
Germany
Local time: 08:05
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
Notes to answerer
Asker: thank you. I've seen this web-page and I understand the @maternal@ treatment of ees as the explanation - I wonder rather who coined the nickname or whether there is a special story associated with it

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1 day 10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
mother merrill
nickname...


Explanation:
These links may offer more of a lead concerning the origin and development of the term for you.

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Note added at 1 day10 hrs (2009-08-28 22:19:04 GMT)
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Apologies to you both; I did not read Derek's post carefully enough to see that I have both requoted his exerpt, and posted his link. The other link is interesting, though, I think.

Example sentence(s):
  • "“Mother Merrill” is cited in print from at least 1972; in the 1990s, the nickname “Mother Merrill” became widely used in the financial press. "

    Reference: http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/moth...
    Reference: http://www.catholicity.com/mccloskey/merrill.html
William [Bill] Gray
Norway
Local time: 08:05
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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