pecuniary gland
n. Whimsical monetary "gland" said to be a part of the mental anatomy of lawyers, doctors, and other professionals who bill for their time.
Examples
2009
While Unus Illis Deus Nummus Est — "they worship only one god there, cash" — really isn't the city's motto (football and fashion are other idols), the private money raised is astonishing: 133 gifts of $1 million or higher, $18 million voted in a 2003 bond election, $42 million by the Winspear family for the opera house, $20 million by the Wyly clan for the theatre more than 90% of the total cost from private sources. Recession or no, the pecuniary gland in Big D is big and healthy.
—Richard West, “The Artful Traveler: Dallas Arts District,” Everett Potter's Travel Report, November 11, 2009
2006
You would require a functioning pecuniary gland.
—Lardbeast, “Medical Requirements for Pilots,” Avcom, October 04, 2006
1998 (earliest)
"Lawyers who are not familiar with mediation feel threatened in something we refer to as their pecuniary gland," said Norman Ross, a dispute-resolution consultant who has mediated over 1,000 cases.
—Kirk Makin, “Ontario looks at mandatory mediation in civil suits,” The Globe and Mail, January 07, 1998
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