Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"Mathematics is 90% common sense, the other half is intelligence" is a jocular math saying. The saying was posted on Twitter on February 3, 2012. “Baseball is ninety percent mental, and…
Start-up businesses try to get "off the ground," but usually not literally. A joke was posted on AnimalJokes.co.uk in 2003: "Did you hear about the pig who tried to start a hot-air…
Some homes are made of brick, so does that mean that brick is domesticated? "A brick is a domesticated rock" was posted on Twitter by Julie Resigned on November 3, 2013. "Bricks are…
The Red Cross (the American Red Cross in the United States) provides emergency assistance and disaster relief, but many people state that Red Cross donations do not reach disaster victims.…
A popular college saying is: Q: What’s the difference between a college freshman and a high school senior?A: Three months of summer vacation. That is, there is not much time to prepare for…
The Red Cross (the American Red Cross in the United States) provides emergency assistance and disaster relief, but many people state that Red Cross donations do not reach disaster victims.…
"Six million Jews" is the frequent number that is given for number of Jews who died in World War II (The Holocaust). Some people have disputed that number, while others -- such as this…
A riddle about a drummer has been cited in print since 1858: Q: Why is a drummer the fastest man in the world? A: Because time beats all men, but the drummer beats time. "Who is the fastest…
Brushing one’s teeth with toothpaste and then drinking orange juice results in an unpleasant taste, but it’s usually not fatal. “Toothpaste before orange juice equals death” is a one-line…
A jocular definition of "crowbar" is: Q: What is a crowbar?A: A place where crows got to get a drink. Forms of the joke/pun/riddle have been cited in print since at least 1890. "True…
"Singing is like talking in cursive lol #WeirdThought" is a saying that was posted on Twitter on October 3, 2011. "Singing is like talking in cursive" was posted on Reddit --…
"Spoiler alert" is a warning that the plot of a drama is about to be revealed. "Spoiler" alerts usually don't involve food, but there are several jokes. "SPOILER…
"Feta" is a cheese used in Greek salad. The plural of "fetus" is "fetuses" or "feti" -- not "feta." A joke was posted on the newsgroup…
The Greek "gyro" (meat wrapped in a pita) has been compared to the Mexican "taco" (meat -- or some other filling -- wrapped in a tortilla). "Greek taco -- a gyro" was…
Vegans have a reputation of telling everyone that they're vegans. “How do you know if someone is a vegan?"/"Don’t worry, they’ll tell you" is a popular joke. "Vegans…
A recipe riddle is: Q: What ghost is handy in the kitchen?A: A recipe spook. The "recipe spook" joke has been cited in print since at least 2007. 2 Funny 4 UCategory: Food jokesDate…
Hummus and pita bread is, to some people, like peanut butter on sliced bread (or a roll). "Pita butter" sounds like "peanut butter." "New word for hummus: pita butter.…
"The worst time to have a heart attack is during a game of charades" is a one-line saying that has been printed on many images. It's not known who first told the joke. New York…
"Black Friday" is the name of the busy shopping day after Thanksgiving, but there were other Black Fridays. The financial term "Black Friday" was popularized in the United…
"Ingest" sounds like "in jest." "I was going to write a joke about eating disorders, but it was tough to, in jest" was posted on Twitter on June 7, 2013. A riddle was…