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Golden Handcuffs


The idiom dates back to the 1976 and was stated by John Steinbeck, who described San Francisco as a ’golden handcuff’ without a key. It's meaning then, and now, is a series of raises, bonuses, etc., given at specified intervals or tied to length of employment so as to keep an executive from leaving the company. Basically monetary incentive to stay at one’s job i.e. salary + benefits + perks that will be forfeited if the employee resigns. (source)






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