The Bottom Line

[adze]

What's "the bottom line"? I know that the expression refers to the dollar cost of something, but where did it originate?

[Pythagras]

Dont have any cite, but Id guess probably from the "bottom line" of accounting books cause thats what was ultimately most important. Wading through everything, and then the bottom line totaled income vs expenses and showed how you were doing as a company, with everything else just there to show how you reached that amount.

[friedo]

When you add a bunch of stuff together, the sum is on The Bottom Line.

[Mangetout]

Yes, what Pythagras said; the bottom line of a management accounts summary or operating statement usually shows net profit (after all related expenditures have been accounted for)

[Mangetout]

Or as an example; an item that I might be selling on eBay:

Income:
Sale of item:              7.99

Expenditure:
Item cost:                 1.28
Listing fees:              0.45
Final Value fee:           1.30
post/packing:              1.22

Expenditure Subtotal:      4.25

Net Profit for item:       3.74

So the 'bottom line' is that I make 3.74 profit for every such item I sell.

[Spiff]

Originally posted by adze
What's "the bottom line"?

It's a really fine song by Big Audio Dynamite.

http://www.esmark.net/bad/bad01.htm#4