gravy train

American  

noun

Slang.

1. a position in which a person or group receives excessive and unjustified money or advantages with little or no effort.

   The top executives were on the gravy train with their huge bonuses.

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gravy train British  

noun

1. slang a job requiring comparatively little work for good pay, benefits, etc

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gravy train Cultural  

1. A job or project that requires little effort but yields considerable profits: “His father worked hard to build the company, but all Percy has to do is sit back and ride the gravy train.”

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Etymology

Origin of gravy train

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Dominion has been riding the gravy train for years, but its shareholders haven’t gotten any gravy.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

Remember, the term life gravy train doesn’t last forever.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 15, 2025

A reputational gravy train is simply coming to an end.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

“If ‘emergence’ merely unlocks capabilities represented in pretraining data,” said Princeton professor Arvind Narayanan, “the gravy train will run out soon.”

From Slate • Nov. 14, 2023

But this gravy train was nearing the end of the line.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik