lion food

lion food
 n.

   [IBM] Middle management or HQ staff (or, by extension, administrative
   drones in general). From an old joke about two lions who, escaping
   from the zoo, split up to increase their chances but agree to meet
   after 2 months. When they finally meet, one is skinny and the other
   overweight. The thin one says: "How did you manage? I ate a human just
   once and they turned out a small army to chase me -- guns, nets, it
   was terrible. Since then I've been reduced to eating mice, insects,
   even grass." The fat one replies: "Well, I hid near an IBM office and
   ate a manager a day. And nobody even noticed!"
    

lion food

   <humour> (IBM) Middle management or HQ staff, or, by
   extension, administrative drones in general.  The term derives
   from an old joke:

   Two lions escape from the zoo and split up to increase their
   chances.  When they finally meet after two months, one is
   skinny and the other overweight.  The thin one says, "How did
   you manage?  I ate a human just once and they turned out a
   small army to chase me with guns and nets, it was terrible.
   Since then I've been reduced to eating mice, insects, even
   grass."  The fat one replies: "Well, *I* hid near an IBM
   office and ate a manager every day.  Nobody even noticed!"

   [{Jargon File}]

   (1994-12-01)