Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"People who use selfie sticks need to take a long look at themselves" was posted on Twitter by David Mason on December 27, 2014. The statement is literally true because selfie sticks…
"'Tis the season to be freezin'" is a winter saying that has been printed on many images. "Tis the season to be freezin'" was printed in the Casa Grande (AZ)…
"The magic of Christmas never ends, and its greatest of gifts are family and friends" is a Christmas saying that has been printed on many images. "The Magic of Christmas never ends…
"I'm only a morning person on December 25th" is a Christmas saying that has been printed on many images. People like to wake up early and check out their Christmas presents.…
The paradox of "Schrödinger's cat" is sometimes joked as "Schrödinger's cash" or "Schrödinger's money" -- something that is both there and not there.…
The paradox of "Schrödinger's cat" is sometimes joked as "Schrödinger's cash" or "Schrödinger's money" -- something that is both there and not there.…
"Forecasts" sounds like "four casts." A weather pun was printed in the Daily Mail (London, UK) on September 14, 1999: "Two weathermen each broke an arm and a leg in an…
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) operates the subways and buses in New York City. The Scissor Sisters are a New York-based band, and the lyrics in its song "Let's Have a…
The nickname "Second City of the World" (or "Second City in the World") was popularized with the 1898 consolidation of Manhattan, Brooklyn and other areas into Greater New York.…
"Hock" is a British term for German white wine. Some puns have "add hock" instead of "ad hoc." "I didn’t have set people to specifically calculate how much…
The northern Manhattan communities of Washington Heights and Inwood have received many immigrants from the Dominican Republic since the 1960s. "The little Dominican Republics of Washington…
The Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn has, since at least the 1980s, added many immigrants from the Caribbean. "We stopped in East Flatbush, known as Little Caribbean" was printed in the…
A rare Mandarin duck (with pink, purple, orange and emerald green plumage) was spotted in Central Park in December 2018. So many people took photos of the duck that a new word was coined --…
New York City Mayor John Lindsay, when viewing a crippling transit strike and other troubles at the beginning of his administration in 1966, remarked, "I still think it's a fun…
"Habanero" sounds a little like "have an arrow." A riddle is: Q: Why didn't the Mexican archer fire his bow?A: He didn't habanero. "Why couldn't the Mexican…
"Forty Deuce," or "Deuce" for short, is (or was) West 42nd Street, between Sixth Avenue and Eighth Avenue. The term dates from the seedy 1960s and 1970s, when the block…
The Times Square area of New York City began deteriorating in the 1950s; in the 1970s, the area was a center for pornography and crime. The nickname "Crime Square" was suggested as early…
The Times Square area of New York City began deteriorating in the 1950s; in the 1970s, the area was a center for pornography and crime. The nickname "Slime Square" (slime + Times Square)…
"Deck the halls with matzo balls" is a parody on the "Deck the halls with boughs of holly" winter carol. The matzo ball joke has been printed on many images. "Deck them…
"If having sex for money makes you a hoe, does having sex for free make you a nonprofit organization ⁉️ #askingforafriend" was posted on Twitter by That Boy Shaud on April 18, 2017.…