Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
The American flag is red, white and blue. Candy canes are usually white, with red stripes. A riddle was printed in Boys' Life magazine in March 1980: Teacher: What's red, white, and blue?…
Hotel guests often forget their rooms. A joke was posted on Twitter by sickipediabot on March 12, 2012: "I walked up to reception in the hotel and said, 'Sorry but I forgot what room…
There have been several magazine puns on the term "back issues." "Did you hear about the woman who kept hurting herself lifting her boxes of old magazines? She had a lot of back…
"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." A ventriloquist version has been cited in print since at least 2013: "A ventriloquist…
The word "parking" doesn't consist of a "par king," but a joke was posted on the website Pun of the Day on December 25, 2014: "Parking - an average sovereign."…
Pretzels are baked bread often -- but not always -- shaped into a twisted knot. "Why do people eat pretzels since they are knot food? (Pun of the Day)" -- from the website Pun of the Day…
The Christmas stocking is an old tradition. A joke was posted on Twitter by James Martin on December 1, 2014: Q. What's the worst thing to find in stockings at Christmas?A. Your dad.…
Many newspapers have a "help wanted" section. Kelp isn't that wanted, but there's a riddle: Q: Where does seaweed go to look for a job?A: The "Kelp Wanted" section of…
Many newspapers have a "help wanted" section. Kelp isn't that wanted, but there's a riddle: Q: Where does seaweed go to look for a job?A: The "Kelp Wanted" section of…
The Chinese dish of "lo mein" has spawned some "lo meintenance" (lo mein + low maintenance) puns. " Lo Meintenance" was posted on the newsgroup…
The expression "bring to the table" means what assets one has to offer, but a pun often involves waiters/waitresses at a restaurant. "Waitresses are good at negotiations, they bring…
A Christmas riddle is: Q: Why did Santa's little helpers choose the outside table?A: They wanted to eat elfresco. "Elfresco" (elf + al fresco) is a portmanteau word. The riddle was…
"Snow is like a man" or "Snow is like sex" or "Sex is like snow" or "Sex is like a snowstorm" is the start of an old joke that has been printed on many…
"Tetris taught me that when you try to fit in, you’ll disappear" is a saying about the tile-matching puzzle video game that has been printed on many images. "Tetris taught me that,…
A "terrible spell of weather" doesn't usually involve spelling the word "weather," but there have been puns. "This is a terrible spell of wheather" was posted on…
A Santa Claus riddle for Christmas is: Q: Where does Santa stay when he is on holiday?A: In a ho-ho-hotel. The "ho-ho-tel" joke was printed in Boys' Life magazine in December 1983.…
"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." An anti-joke version with Islamic names is: "Ahmed walks into Abbar..."…
"The Improper Fractions Helpline is now open 24/7" is a math joke that has been printed on coffee mugs. "My top-heavy fractions helpline is now open 24/7" was posted on Twitter…
"Hurts like hail" sounds like "hurts like hell." "Frozen rain, when it hits you, hurts like hail" was published in a 1987 newspaper. "I don't know if I just…
"Employee of the Month is a good example of how a person can be a winner and a loser at the same time" is a jocular one-line work saying that has been printed on many images. New…