Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
Some seats on buses and trains -- usually those near the exits -- are suggested for the elderly and disabled. A joke was posted on Twitter by Sickipedia Official on June 2, 2013: "Saw a sign…
Pico de gallo usually contains chopped tomato, onion, cilantro, serrano peppers, salt and lime juice. Guacamole usually contains the same ingredients, plus avocado. "If I put avocado in pico…
It's a popular meme that police can frequently be seen at donut shops. The donuts they eat are not marijuana donuts, but there are jokes. "The police say they burn the marijuana they…
"Buy now -- pay later" is a popular sales tactic. "It's amazing how fast later comes when you buy now!" is a saying that has been printed on many images. Origin of the…
"May the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends beneath it never fall out" is an Irish toast/blessing that has been printed in many images. Authorship is unknown.…
"Amateurs teach amateurs to be amateurs" is a saying about a lack of professionalism. American film and theatre actor Charles Coburn (1877-1961) worried that actors were being taught by…
The Hudson Yards real estate development is on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan, and was built on a platform over the West Side Yard for Long Island Rail Road trains. When it opened to the public…
Chicago (IL) Tribune columnist Mary Schmich wrote a speech to graduates in her column on June 1, 1997. One piece of advice was: "Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.…
"What's the point in calling vegetarian meatballs meatballs..." was posted on Twitter by "M" on February 26, 2012. Why call it a "meatball" is it doesn't…
Granville, New York, has many slate quarries, and the area has been called "Slate Valley." Granville has been nicknamed the "Colored Slate Capital of the World" and the…
The city of Utica, New York, was promoted as the "Handshake City" by the Utica Chamber of Commerce in November 1970. The city wanted to show the world its friendliness. In 1974, a person…
The Hudson Yards real estate development is on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan, and was built on a platform over the West Side Yard for Long Island Rail Road trains. When it opened to the public…
"What's come over you?" is an expression not to be taken literally, but there are jokes. This was posted on the newsgroup rec.humor on March 23, 1994: Patient: Doctor doctor, I feel…
A Jewish "joke" is that everyone hates the Jews, but that an anti-Semite is someone who hate the Jews more than is absolutely necessary. The saying was printed in the essay "What Can…
A "humidifier" shouldn't be spelled "humidifire," but there are puns. A riddle was posted on Reddit -- Dadjokes on March 12, 2019: Q: What kind of fire leaves a room…
Several math puns are often added -- a pun! -- together into one big math joke. "I'd claim to be original but pretty much all my calculus jokes are derivative" was posted on Twitter…
A "python" snake doesn't necessarily like pie, but there are jokes. "What snake would make a good dessert? Py(pie)thon" was printed in the St. Louis (MO) Star on March 16,…
"Red Mike and violets" was hash house slang for a dish of "corned beef and cabbage." Corned beef is red, cabbage is violet and "Mike" is a traditional Irish name.…
"Red Mike and violets" was hash house slang for a dish of "corned beef and cabbage." Corned beef is red, cabbage is violet and "Mike" is a traditional Irish name.…
“Behind every great man is a great woman” is an old saying from at least the 1880s. "Behind every great/successful man is a woman rolling her eyes" is a jocular saying that has been…