golden

   large or excessive

   In the financial jargon phrases golden goodbye or handshake, a payment made in lieu of damages when an employee is dismissed before his contract expires; a golden hallo, to induce someone to join a firm or match his benefits accrued in the post he is leaving; golden handcuffs, to prevent his leaving to join a competitor; a golden parachute, which ensures a soft landing if he is dismissed; and, less often but with more wit, a golden retriever to induce a former employee to return:

    I would not be looking for a golden goodbye — why should I deserve that? (Sunday Telegraph, 28 January 2001, quoting the chief executive of Marks & Spencer)

    They have something called a 'Golden Handshake'. If they want to get rid of a foreigner they offer him a chunk of money as compensation for the loss of his career. (Theroux, 1977)

    It gives employees an equity-type stake in the bank as well as acting as a form of 'golden handcuffs'. (Daily Telegraph, 18 March 1994)

    Research director Peter Jensen got £252,000 including a £186,000 golden hello when he arrived in January. (Daily Telegraph, 27 August 1998 — this did not prevent the shares in his employer falling from 177 to 35 pence within a year)

    But when a person fell from a position of influence, there was no safety net, no golden parachute. (Sohmer, 1988)

   For golden bowler see bowler hat.