Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
Many people assume that the people who spend a long time in bathroom stalls are doing drugs. "If you didn't spend twenty minutes in the bathroom, we wouldn't think you were doing…
Dry pet food, such as dog food, has often been described as "meat cereal." "Sometimes I catch myself eating the dog food. With a little milk it's like meat cereal" was…
"Catalogs" sounds like "cattle-logs." "Where might you expect to find a cow's pedigree? -- In a cattle-log" was cited in an 1873 newspaper. "When cows are…
"Optimistic people want to hear the bad news first, while pessimists ask for the good. Realists just start drinking" is a saying that has been printed on several images. The saying was…
"Walking around like he/she owns the place" is a saying about someone with a cocky attitude. Many millennials cannot afford to own homes and prefer to rent. A joke was posted by Spence on…
Schweppes is a brand of beverages; a jocular verb is "Schwepped" (which sounds like "swept"). "Schwepped her off her feet" was written in the story…
"Is Breakfast Cereal a Soup?" is a question on Debate.org (58% say "yes.") "Soup spoons make great cereal spoons. Then again, cereal is really milk soup" was posted on…
People sometimes ask for "raw" steak when they mean "rare." "Sometimes I like my steak raw, but that's rare" was posted on Twitter on December 12, 2012. "Few…
Cauliflower sometimes has the jocular portmanteau words "melancauliflower" and "melancholiflower" (melancholy + cauliflower), and sometimes "meloncauliflower" and…
"Water is like snow juice. Like cloud milk" -- an interesting description of rain and snow -- was posted on Twitter on December 20, 2013. "Water is just cloud milk... think about…
"A good date ends with dinner. A(n) awesome/excellent/great/perfect date ends with breakfast" -- meaning that the couple has spent the night together -- is a jocular saying that has been…
In the game of snooker, one player is "first to break." "Interrogating snooker players is SO easy. They're always the first to break" is a pun that was posted on Twitter on…
"It was so cold...the optician was giving away free ice scrapers with every new pair of eyeglasses!" is a one-line saying about extremely cold weather that has been cited in print since…
"It was so cold pickpockets were sticking their hands in strangers' pockets just to keep them warm!" is a one-line saying about extremely cold weather that has been cited in print…
"Happy Hour" usually refers to drinks at bars and restaurants, but there have been other definitions. "I've reached the age where 'Happy Hour' is a nap" (or…
The month of January is the first month of the year, and it has been compared to Monday, the first day of a usual work week. Both January and Monday are frequently unloved. "January is the…
"Intelligence is like wealth. It works better when it's not shoved into people's faces. The truly remarkable minds talk effectively, not much" is a saying that was posted on…
A vampire riddle was posted on Twitter on May 17, 2012: Q: What's the most popular dish at a Chinese Vampire Restaurant? A: Chow Vein. A similar riddle was posted on Reddit -- 3amjokes on…
Are people who own expensive sports cars all pricks? A joke has been cited in print since at least 1986: Q: What's the difference between a porcupine and a Porsche?A: The porcupine has little…
"Intelligence is like wealth. It works better when it's not shoved into people's faces. The truly remarkable minds talk effectively, not much" is a saying that was posted on…