Despite urgings by all not to be a party-pooper at Oslo, Mr Arafat could not entirely suppress his frustration.

ECONOMIST: Israel and the Palestinians

In Britain, a doggy bag can be confused with a pooper-scooper, which deals with a different kind of waste altogether.

BBC: Doggy bag: Why are the British too embarrassed to ask?

Nonetheless, the Fed continued to play the party-pooper this week, raising rates by another quarter of a percentage point, to 3.75%, at its meeting on Tuesday September 20th.

ECONOMIST: Reluctant party-poopers | The

Outsourcing of picking up after our pets is also popular, judging by the proliferation of pooper-scooper chains including Pet Butler and the frankly named Wholly Crap, which serves Ohio and Pennsylvania.

FORBES: Why One Recession-Proof Industry Just Keeps Growing