Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"Hard times" doesn't usually involve a stone clock, but there are jokes. "RT @walteroho: Hard times like a stone clock #boss my #punchline :D" was posted on X/Twitter by…
The American educational children's television series Sesame Street showed a rapping "Big Apple" muppet on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok on April 8, 2026: "Big Apple…
"Fall" can be a season, and it can also mean a drop. This pun was posted on X/Twitter by Funny Dad Jokes on April 6, 2026: "I survived a fall without a parachute... I've also…
"Dim sun" (one suggestion to stop global warming) shouldn't be confused with ""dim sum" (a Chinese dish), but there are jokes. "Chinese eclipse = dim sun"…
"Dim sun" (one suggestion to stop global warming) shouldn't be confused with ""dim sum" (a Chinese dish), but there are jokes. "Chinese eclipse = dim sun"…
"Manual labor" (physical work) doesn't involve writing instruction manuals, but there are jokes. "Does writing an instruction book count as manual labor?" was posted on…
"Manual labor" (physical work) doesn't involve writing instruction manuals, but there are jokes. "Does writing an instruction book count as manual labor?" was posted on…
"Manual labor" (physical work) doesn't involve writing instruction manuals, but there are jokes. "Does writing an instruction book count as manual labor?" was posted on…
“Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have” is an employment adage. Does the same concept apply to the weather you want? Bluesky Adam Corlett @adamcorlett.bsky.social Dress…
Santa Claus rewards only good girls and boys, but the Easter bunny rewards everyone. This was posted on X/Twitter by slate (the account is now private, but a Bluesky post copies it) on April 15,…
"Dese, dem and dose" for "these, them and those" is often viewed as typical uneducated language of rough people on the street. The language is often called…
A classic joke involving Euripides (a Greek tragedian of classical Athens) and Eumenides (a Greek tragedy by Aeschylus) has been cited in print since at least 1931. The joke involves a tailor and a…
"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." A political version is: "A Socialist, a Communist, a Liberal, and a Progressive all…
"🎉made my last car payment🎉 I still owe a lot but I’m just not paying anymore" was posted on X/Twitter by Brent Terhune on October 24, 2020, and this received over 16,000 likes.…
"Hello, gorgeous!" is what a man in the 1920s might have said to an attractive woman. The saying appears in print in Ainslee's magazine in September 1926. The saying appeared in…
The name of "Twitter" (an American microblogging and social networking service) was changed to "X" in 2023, but many people still call it Twitter. "xtwitter (the x is…
Many people order a coffee that seems more like a dessert. This was posted on Facebook by Coffee on March 27, 2026: "If your coffee needs 4 pumps of syrup, whipped cream, and a drizzle……
Facebook im not right in the head.com March 27, 2026 at 3:10 PM · Shared by the abnormal Kenneth Wright (The following text is shown on an image. -- ed.) I LOOK NORMAL BUT I TALK TO DOGS LIKE…
LaffGaff Shire Horse by LaffGaff March 27, 2026 I recently bought a shire horse. My existing horse was too outgoing.
How did civilization evolve into filing taxes? This was posted on X/Twitter (and also on Bluesky and Threads) by Ꮍᴀᴇʟ on March 26, 2026, and it received over 35,000 likes: "We…