Meanings
plural gravy trains
- idiomaticAn occupation or situation that generates considerable income or benefits while requiring little effort and carrying little risk.
And did we tell you the name of the game, boy? / We call it riding the gravy train
1975, Roger Waters, “Have a Cigar”, in Wish You Were Here, performed by Pink Floyd5 more examples
Johnston claims that Reuben Nelson and another tall negro were in New Haven the night of the escape and that they broke into the lockup. Johnson further states that the next day Nelson laughingly told him that the New Haven lockup was ‘a gravy train’.
1895 November, (as quoted by Michael Quinion) Courier of ConnellsvilleOf course these foreigners want to come to America. […] To them America is the land of the free ride; and they want to climb aboard the gravy train, even though that means abandoning their friends and neighbors, the ashes of their fathers and the temples of their gods, to a struggle to which they themselves are no longer equal.
1949, William Van O'Connor, American Quarterly, page 38Hatcher derailed the gravy train by consolidating City Hall operations into five general departments headed by three special assistants and two members of the Board of Works.
1970 December, Alex Poinsett, “Is There a Plot to Kill Mayor Hatcher?”, in Ebony, volume 26, number 2, Johnson Publishing, →ISSN, page 146Freeloaders are a prime example of the people that will repeatedly burn you if they have the chance. […] They would much rather find someone with a generous nature, and ride that gravy train till the gravy runs out.
2005, Kevin Craig, Hey Stranger! Letters from an All-American Loudmouth, →ISBNThis whole gay marriage clamor is really about spousal and other benefits that this welfare state provider has made so enticing. It's only natural that everybody wants to get on a gravy train or ride a free horse.
2006, Freddie L. Sirmans, Can the US Survive Doomsday, →ISBN, page 19Synonyms: sinecure
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn occupation or situation that generates considerable income or benefits while requiring little effort and carrying little risk.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Said to be originally US railroad slang, referring to an easy, short haul that paid well. The word gravy by itself was used prior to any attestable use of gravy train to characterize cushy situations. Note also phrases with hog train as a possible source of analogy.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish hillotolppa, suojatyöpaikka
- hillotolppaoccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
- suojatyöpaikkaoccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
- palkkiovirkaoccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
French poule aux œufs d'or
- poule aux œufs d'oroccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
German lauer Lenz
- lauer Lenzoccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
Hungarian zsíros állás
- zsíros állásoccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
Icelandic létt starf (en vel launað), komast á spena
- létt starf (en vel launað)occupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
- komast á spenaoccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
Italian ottenere molto con poco sforzo
- ottenere molto con poco sforzooccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
Lithuanian auksine zasis
- auksine zasisoccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
Persian پول مفت
- پول مفت (pul-e moft)occupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
Polish ciepła posadka
- ciepła posadkaoccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
Portuguese mamata
- mamataoccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
Russian тёплое ме́сто
- тёплое ме́сто (tjóploje mésto)occupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
Slovak teplé miesto/miestečko
- teplé miesto/miestečkooccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
Spanish llevársela fácil, chollo
- llevársela fáciloccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
- chollooccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
- pichinchaoccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
- bicocaoccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
- momiooccupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
Ukrainian тепле місце
- тепле місце (teple misce)occupation that generates considerable income with little or less effort
Cite this entry
gravy train. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gravy%20train
“gravy train.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gravy%20train. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gravy train,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gravy%20train.
Source: gravy train on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.