Alphabet Mafia
"Alphabet mafia" has at least three different meanings. Government agencies (such as the current FBI, CIA, NSA, IRS, FCC, FDA, EPA and much more) have been called "alphabet…
“Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good”
"Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good" is a quotation that has been printed on many images. The quote is always credited to…
“A principle isn’t a principle until it costs you money”
William "Bill" Bernbach (1911-1982), one of the founders of the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), created many legendary ad campaigns. However, after the U.S. Surgeon General…
“How does a French woman hold her liquor?”/“By the ears.”
"Liquor" sounds like "licker," and there's a a sex pun that was cited in the newsgroup rec.humor on October 24, 1990: Q: How does a women hold her liquor?A: By the ears.…
People’s News Network (Twitter nickname)
Twitter is an online networking serivce for short messages. "Twitter = The People's News Network" was posted on Twitter on May 1, 2011, after it first made news on Twitter that Osama…
“Never book a judge by his cover” (joke)
"Don't judge a book by its cover" is a popular proverb. As one jocular story has it, a judge dressed up in a convict's costume for a Halloween party. A policeman thought he was…
Invisible Government
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Shadow government (conspiracy)The shadow government (cryptocracy, secret government, or invisible government) is a family of conspiracy theories based on the…
Shadow Government
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Shadow government (conspiracy)The shadow government (cryptocracy, secret government, or invisible government) is a family of conspiracy theories based on the…
Deep State (state within a state)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Deep state in the United StatesWriters, journalists, political scientists and political activists in the United States have for decades expressed concerns about…
“How many cooks does it take to change a lightbulb?” (joke)
A restaurant version of the lightbulb joke is: Q: How many cooks does it take to change a lightbulb?A: Five. One to screw it in and four to tell you how they did it at their last restaurant. The…
“A bar walks into a man. Oops! Wrong frame of reference” (bar joke)
"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." A physics version is: "A bar walks into a man. Oops! Wrong frame of reference."…
“When they go low, you go high”
"When they go low, you go high" is a political philosophy that was said by U.S. President Barack Obama and popularized in speeches by First Lady Michelle Obama. The first lady went on…
“A committee is twelve people doing the work of one”
Arthur Bloch's Murphy's Law Book Three: Wrong Reasons Why Things Go More! (1982) included: "Kennedy's Comment on CommitteesA committee is twelve people doing the work of…
“A committee is a life form with six or more legs and no brain”
American science-fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein wrote in Time Enough for Love: The Lives of Lazarus Long (1973): "A committee is a life form with six or more legs and no brain." The…
I.O.U.S.A. (IOU + USA)
"I.O.U.S.A." (IOU + USA) was printed in an income tax poem by an anonymous author that appeared in several newspapers since 1952: "Income tax is almost due,And this makes me,…
“My main problem is reconciling my gross habits with my net income”
Australian-born actor Errol Flynn (1909-1959) was one of Hollywood's highest-paid stars in the 1940s; in the 1950s, however, he faced financial disaster. A Flynn quote was published in many…
“What is the definition of Death?”/“When you stop paying taxes suddenly.”
"Death and taxes" are often said to be the only certainties in life. There's a joke: Q: What is the definition of Death?A: When you stop paying taxes suddenly. The joke has been…
“What do you call an empty jar of Cheez Whiz?”/“Cheese was.”
Cheez Whiz (often misspelled as Cheese Whiz or Cheese Wiz) is a processed cheese sauce and the subject of a popular food pun: Q: What do you call an empty jar of Cheez Whiz?A: Cheese was.…
The Mighty Wurlitzer (CIA “playing” the media)
Frank Wisner (1909-1965) the Central Intelligence Agency's deputy director, was responsible for Operation Mockingbird in the 1950s to spread propaganda through the media. He boasted that the…
“Lie like a rug” (to always lie)
A rug lies on the floor. Someone who "lies like a rug" is someone who always lies (or prevaricates). The saying is frequently applied to politicians who don't tell the truth.…