Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"Curdle" doesn't sound like "hurdle," but there have been cheese puns. "Did you hear about the cheese that failed? It fell at the final curdle" was posted on…
"A sight to behold" is sometimes punned as "a site to be holed." "Ralph Lloyd's new golf course up in Portland is a site to be holed" was cited in print in 1934…
Ants have a worker reputation, but is it true? "How can ants be such hard workers when they always have time to show up at picnics?" is a jocular line that was printed in a 1973…
A pun on the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) has been cited in print since at least 1998: Q: What do you call a fat alien?A: An extra-cholesterol! A slightly different version was posted on…
The board game Monopoly is sometimes said to be unrealistic. "The most unrealistic thing about Monopoly" was posted on Reddit -- Funny on March 2, 2014, referring to the card "BANK…
Many street performers stay still like statues; a hat is near them for donations. A joke was credited to an email by Chris Bird in February 2017: "Human statues can also be made to move by…
The term “girther” (girth + -er) is similar to the related terms "birther (a person skeptical about another person’s birth information) and “truther” (a person skeptical of the…
"Foul balls" can mean one thing in baseball, but can mean another thing to men. A joke has been cited in print since at least 1972: "Did you hear about the new man's deodorant…
Specs of dirt on a computer screen can be mistaken for periods and commas. "Keeping a clean desk space is vital, otherwise you try to correct punctuation that in fact turns out to be a speck…
The dread of going back to work can spoil a day off. A work saying was posted on Reddit -- Shower Thoughts on January 18, 2018: "The feeling of not having to work tomorrow is better than the…
A driver riddle has been printed on several images: Q: What kind of driver never gets a ticket?A: A screwdriver. The joke has been cited in print since at least 1969. 22 May 1969, San Diego (CA)…
The Special Olympics is a sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. A politically incorrect meme uses "Special Olympics" to define a meaningless victory.…
Many theatrical productions have dress rehearsals. Does a nude performance hold an "undress rehearsal"? "Undress Rehearsal-Burlesque" was the title of a painting reported in a…
Many college graduates can't find jobs in what they majored in. "In this economy even farmers are having a hard time getting a job in their field" was posted on Twitter on May 21,…
The term “girther” (girth + -er) is similar to the related terms "birther (a person skeptical about another person’s birth information) and “truther” (a person skeptical of the…
"Clamdestine" (clam + clandestine) is an infrequently used and jocular shellfish term. "Clamdestine -- Something secretive among shellfish" was published in The Arizona Republic…
Many people feed bread to the birds in a park. A joke has two homeless people talking on a park bench: HOMELESS PERSON ON PARK BENCH: Did you bring bread for the pigeons?SECOND HOMELESS PERSON: No,…
There's a difference between "asthmatic" (asthma) and "basmatic" (basmati rice), but there have been jokes. This was printed in the Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland) on…
"Human beings" sounds like "human beans." A joke was printed in Tit-Bits in 1933: "A teacher, giving a lesson on beans, asked the children to compose sentences containing…
For many immigrants to the United States (and especially to New York, through the Ellis Island immigration station), American was thought to be the "Golden Land" of opportunity, where the…