This phrase seems to appear in a lot of legal ads. I would guess because the word “significant” is weaselly enough to match whatever meaning one wishes to apply^. Where did this phrasing first appear? Why did it become omnipresent?
^A fact pointed out by Bernard in Yes, Prime Minister IIRC.
The fine print at the bottom of the legal ads should say, “But the attorneys will get the lion’s share of any settlement.”
~VOW
Sounds like it could have been a line from Perry Mason, even the books, going back nearly 100 years now. Very lawyerly in tone.
“You may be eligible for significant compensation”
“But in reality, you’ll get essentially nothing while I’m rolling in it. Or a discount /coupon with the very entity who wronged you.”