late train
n.— «That game can be expensive. One Washington lobbyist who asked not to be identified says he gave money to the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for a House seat. After the election, the Republican winner called to demand a check—bigger than the original gift. Why? “The late train is a hell of a lot more expensive than the early train,” the lobbyist says he was told.» —“Shakedown on K Street” by Richard S. Dunhan, Eamon Javers BusinessWeek Feb. 9, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Katie in Everett, Washington, is curious about the expression If ifs and ands were pots and pans, there’d be no need for tinkers. What is a tinker? She heard this phrase on the television series The Gilded Age, in response to a character who...