Diamond hands
Etymology
Diamond stands for hardness under pressure and the "hands" hold on no matter what. The phrase surged out of the Reddit forum r/WallStreetBets during the 2020–2021 GameStop episode, often rendered with diamond and hand emoji. Its opposite is "paper hands."
noun phrase · /DY-muhnd HANDZ/
The trait of holding a risky investment through severe volatility without selling.
What it names
A badge of nerve in retail-investing culture — conviction (or stubbornness) hardened against fear — with a memorable metaphor.
Example
Down forty percent and he still won’t sell — genuine diamond hands, or maybe just denial.
Related idea
Overlaps with HODL but adds bravado; where HODL is a strategy, diamond hands is a boast about withstanding fear and loss aversion.