synthetic short

synthetic short
 n.— «At a time when traders would normally have shorted the stock as part of the trade, they’re instead bypassing the rising cost of doing so by assembling what are called “synthetic shorts.” In case you’re not familiar with that term, synthetic shorts are a specialized type of options trade that involves buying puts and selling calls at the same strike prices to achieve the same risk/reward profile as an outright short in Citi stock. The advantage of a synthetic short is that you don’t have to go through the hassle of actually shorting the stock, or trying to borrow it in a hard-to-borrow market.» —“Citigroup Stock Drama: Capitalist Conspiracy or Pursuit of Profits?” by Keith Fitz-Gerald Money Morning April 21, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)