# The Bottom Line

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bottom-line/148716>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 15, 2003, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bottom-line/148716 "2003-01-15T12:13:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![adze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/50afbb/32.png) [@adze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adze)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bottom-line/148716/1 "2003-01-15T12:13:56Z")

</div>

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

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Pythagras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/45deac/32.png) [@Pythagras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythagras)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bottom-line/148716/2 "2003-01-15T12:18:24Z")

</div>

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.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bottom-line/148716/3 "2003-01-15T12:32:21Z")

</div>

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

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bottom-line/148716/4 "2003-01-15T12:41:21Z")

</div>

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)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bottom-line/148716/5 "2003-01-15T12:47:12Z")

</div>

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

```auto

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.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bottom-line/148716/6 "2003-01-15T14:27:39Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by adze \*  
> **What’s “the bottom line”?**

It’s a really fine song by _Big Audio Dynamite_. 😉

[ERRP | Expired Registration Recovery Policy](http://www.esmark.net/bad/bad01.htm#4)