Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
An Advent calendar shouldn't be written as an Advent "colander," but there have been several puns. "Each day the little Cratchits would peer through a different hole in the…
A winter riddle is: Q: What's white and goes up?A: A confused snowflake. The joke has been cited in print since at least 1977. 11 January 1977, Los Angeles (CA) Times, You sec., pg. 2, col.…
"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." An anti-joke version is: "A priest, a minister and a rabbi walk into a bar. Legally,…
"If Tetris has taught me anything, it’s that errors pile up and accomplishments disappear" is a saying about the tile-matching puzzle video game that has been printed on several images.…
The Christmas carol "Deck the Halls: has the lyric, "'Tis the season to be jolly." A riddle was cited in print in 1978: Q: What did one grape say to the other grape?A: 'Tis…
A cow riddle is: Q: What do you get from a cowmedian?A: Cream of wit. A "cowmedian" is a "cow-comedian." The joke has been cited in print since at least 2007. Wikipedia: Cream…
A cow riddle is: Q: What do cows eat for breakfast?A: Moosli." The "moosli" joke (moo + muesli) has been cited in print since at least 2001. Wikipedia: MuesliMuesli (/ˈmjuːzli/ or…
A Christmas riddle about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is: Q: Did Rudolph go to a regular school?A: No, he was elf taught. "Question: Did Rudolph go to a regular school?: Answer: No. He was…
An elf riddle is: Q: What do you call a rich elf?A: Welfy (wealthy). The riddle has been cited in print since at least 2003. 14 December 2003, Green Bay (WI) Press-Gazette, "Sites of the…
A flat earth riddle is: Q: How does a flat earther travel the world?A: On a plane (plain). The joke was posted on Reddit -- Jokes on November 30, 2017. Reddit -- JokesHow does a Flat Earther travel…
"A rye" is a frequent homophone for "awry." "My bread baking business has gone a rye" was posted on Twitter on August 9, 2011. A pun was posted on Reddit -- Oneliners…
"True York City" (true + New York City) is a name from the marketing campaign of NYC & Company that began in November 2017. The logo "Famous Original New York City" features…
Headphones often become tangled. A joke was posted on Twitter by "sweaty five dollars" on April 7, 2013: "How to tie the strongest knot ever: 1) put some headphones in your pocket…
Parents often tell their children that they can become anyone they want to be. This is not meant to be taken literally. "As a young child my mum told me I could be anybody I wanted to be.…
Bananas go bad very quickly. "I’m beginning to think that I buy bananas just to watch them die a slow death in my kitchen" is a jocular one-line saying that has been printed on several…
A joke on the name of "badminton" has been cited in print since at least 2000: "My new dog, Minton, just ate all my shuttlecocks. Bad Minton!" The joke has been printed on…
"I work hard so my dog can have a better life" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many images. "Working hard so my dog can have a better life!" was posted on Twitter…
Potatoes contain starch. "I would tell a joke about potatoes, but i don't know where to starch!" -- a pun on "where to start" -- was posted on Twitter by PUNS on October…
A Christmas riddle is: Q: Why does Santa go down the chimney on Christmas Eve?A: Because it soots (suits) him. The Christmas pun has been cited in print since at least December 1894. Google…
A Christmas riddle is: Q: What do elves do after school?A: Gnomework. The riddle has been cited in print since at least 1984. Google BooksThe Zaniest Riddle Book in the WorldBy Joseph Rosenbloom…