A: Most retail businesses didn’t report an increase in profits compared with the same period last year.

    B: It’s not surprising at all. Caught between inflation, wage freezes and job insecurity, shoppers are running up the white flag on spending.

    Note: A white flag is a sign that you accept defeat and wish to stop fighting. Dictionary.com suggests the white flag came into use in 1590-1600, but ancient Chinese and Romans had used the white flag for the similar meaning. In the old days, messengers used to wave the white flag to signify that they’d come to talk rather than fight. In modern warfare, if soldiers raise the white flag while in battle, they mean to put down their arms and surrender, conceding defeat.