As the country tries to escape its economic doldrums, there’s been a lot of talk about how banks made “toxic loans” that exposed them and others to huge losses. It’s a very descriptive phrase that allows the biologic and economic worlds to collide

Federico Fellini's classic film "La Dolce Vita" is approaching the half-century mark and the director's hometown is pulling out the stops to give it a Felliniesque two-year-long international birthday bash.

Global financial crisis got you down? Do you watch CNBC with a blank stare? Do you still wonder why your home isn't worth what it used to be and why your loan application was denied?

The financial crisis has its own language, and some of it is quite colorful. "Baked in the cake" and "dead cat bounce" are just some of the terms you'll hear in the business news these days.

The dizzying economic situation is giving rise to novel phrases and appropriate expressions. The financial news includes colorful language describing a pretty bleak situation. It's practically baked in the cake.