Decades ago I worked with a guy from Yorkshire. He would talk about the "adding 2pence to the price of chips* at the cafeteria" syndrome. He explained that when

Decades ago I worked with a guy from Yorkshire. He would talk about the "adding 2pence to the price of chips* at the cafeteria" syndrome. He explained that when times got tough at the mill, the managers would debate what to do, and invariably decide to add 2 pence to the price of chips at the works cafeteria (something that has nothing to do with the actual business). The workers knew this was a sign it was time to look for another job. *French fries.