Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
New York-based stand-up comedian Rodney Dangerfield (1921-2004) told a joke about private school: "My kid drives me nuts. For three years now he goes to a private school. He won't tell me…
"You should never sacrifice three things: your family, your heart, or your dignity" is an inspirational saying that has been printed on many images. ”You should never sacrifice three…
"The past is your lesson. The present is your gift. The future is your motivation" is a motivational saying that has been printed on many images. The saying was posted on Twitter on June…
An old joke has a person seek to purchase a "potato clock" because he or she was told to "get up at eight o'clock." The mondegreen has been cited in print since at least…
"The bag that breaks is the one with the eggs" is a saying that has been popularized by Arthur Bloch, the compiler of the "Murphy's Laws" books. Bloch wrote in 1983…
"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" is a saying from the 1700s and 1800s, when horses were used for transportation (and eating the horse would be a last resort). "I'm so…
"Leftovers are repast history" is a food pun. The saying was posted on the website Pun of the Day in 1999. Pun of the DayGreat One Liners of the Month - October 1999 - page 2(...)18.…
"Men are like chocolate bars -- sweet, smooth, and they usually head right for your hips" is a jocular saying about men. The joke was posted on the newsgroup rec.humor on January 7, 1998.…
"You can never be sure how many beers you had last night" has been called the "Heineken Uncertainty Principle" -- a physics pun on Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. The…
"I came from a tough neighborhood," American stand-up comedian Rodney Dangerfield (1921-2004) used to say. "In the local restaurant, I sat down and had broken leg of lamb."…
“A chef is a man with a big enough vocabulary to give the soup a different name every day" is a jocular definition of a chef and a simplistic explanation of soup. The joke was printed in The…
"Webster notwithstanding, in our opinion a restaurant waffle is pancake with a non-skid tread" was printed in a June 1923 newspaper. "A waffle is a pancake with a non-skid…
"I'm not as think as you drunk I am" -- a drunk "spoonerism" version of "I'm not as drunk as you think I am" -- is a one-line saying that has been printed on…
"Rabbits jump and they live for 8 years. Dogs run and they live for 15 years. Turtles do nothing and they live for 150 years. Lesson learned" is a jocular anti-exercise saying that has…
"To err is human; to forgive, divine" is from Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism (1711) . "To eat is human; to drink wine divine" is a food parody that was printed in…
"I drink to steady my nerves. Sometimes I'm so steady I can't move for months" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The joke has been cited since at least 1952,…
An old joke has a husband eating a meal that was cooked by his wife. "This meal is fit for a king!" he tells his wife, then he calls the family dog. "Here, King! Come on, boy! Here,…
Jokes about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City's World Trade Center are numerous, although not politically correct. One popular riddle is: Q: Who are the world's…
American Jewish families have valued education. Brooklyn-born comedian, actress and television host Joan Rivers (1933-2014) was quoted in a Washington (DC) Post profile on June 11, 1986: "When…
American humorist Lewis Grizzard (1946-1994) listed several "rules to follow when ordering in an unfamiliar restaurant" in his newspaper column on April 11, 1986. The first rule was:…