GLOSSARY
Jump the Shark...
...in TV-industry jargon is what a show does when it pulls an outrageous stunt in a desperate attempt at a ratings boost--and usually suffers a terminal decline instead. The term, which the creators of jumptheshark.com say they coined, was inspired by the Happy Days episode in which a water-skiing Fonz jumps over a shark. Lately the term is being adopted in business to describe the point at which a once strong company or brand begins to slide. AutoWeek's review of the new turbocharged Volkswagen Beetle, for instance, says the car "threatens to jump the...