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Killer Bees

Those man-eating pollinators who have been moving north from Mexico in vast swarms for 40 years now, at least according to news reports.

In finance, the term refers to specialists dedicated to helping companies avoid takeovers.

The management teams of most companies would rather not have their firms get taken over by another organization. However, there are entities (larger rivals, certain hedge funds, etc.) that look for vulnerable situations and pounce with unsolicited takeover bids.

Killer bees work to prevent that. The nickname applies to professionals, like lawyers, accountants, investments funds, etc. who specialize in working out anti-takeover strategies.

Find other enlightening terms in Shmoop Finance Genius Bar(f)