Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
The Indian Point Energy Center at Buchanan, New York, has frequently been called a "Fukushima on the Hudson (River)." An energy accident occurred at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in…
Manufacturers make impressive fishing lures to lure in customers, prompting the adage, "Fishing lures are made to catch fishermen, not fish." The March 1919 newspaper column "Woods…
"Drop a line" used to be a way of saying that someone was making a telephone call. A fishing joke is: "The best way to communicate with fish is to drop them a line." "How…
"A backward(s) poet writes inverse" is a pun that has been printed on many T-shirts and GIFs. Authorship of the joke is unknown, but the one-liner has been cited in print since at least…
"Grexit" (Greece/Greek + exit) spawned many similar terms, such as "Fexit" (federal + exit). In March 2013, "Fexit" meant the Federal Reserve's exit from certain…
"Grexit" (Greece/Greek + exit) spawned many similar terms, such as "Fexit" (federal + exit). In March 2013, "Fexit" meant the Federal Reserve's exit from certain…
"Welfargee" (welfare + refugee) describes someone who comes from a third world country to a more developed country and lives off its welfare. "Welfargee" was cited in print in…
"Poor farmers grow crops, but good farmers grow soil" is an adage of uncertain origin. "He (John Jeavons -- ed.) believes the goal is not simply to grow crops but to grow soil"…
A "million dollar rain" is a rain that helps crops (and makes farmers rich, although not necessarily by a million dollars). This rain occurs in late spring or in the summer, when the…
Several people have said that one should be "comfortable being uncomfortable." The book Setting Goals (1983) by John Renesch asked, " Are you willing to be uncomfortable (like any…
A pun on "sorbet" is: "My girlfriend fell in an ice cream store. She's now a sore bae." The "sore bae" joke has had many forms. "My girlfriend is mad that I…
A jocular one-liner about a microwave oven is: "When I found out my microwave wasn't waterproof, I was shocked." The "shocking" pun was cited on Twitter on May 21, 2012.…
"Tea is for mugs" is a saying that has been printed on many mugs. "@GunstarCowboy no, tea is for mugs!" was cited on Twitter on September 3, 2009. The pun jokes of the…
A popular pun about cartoonists (from a hypothetical newspaper headline) is: "Cartoonist found dead in home. Details are sketchy." The joke was on the website Pun of the Day and posted on…
"The butcher who made seabird sausages took a tern for the wurst," according to a popular pun. "Tern for the wurst" has been printed on T-shirts. Associated Press writer Jay…
"How a bill becomes a law" has been explained by the website Kids in the House. A 1976 Schoolhouse Rock song, "I'm Just a Bill," also explained the process. The site…
Crockpots aren't for cooking crocodiles, but there are jokes. "JOHN ESTES wondering if alligator is cooked in a 'croc pot'" was printed in the Hanford (CA) Sentinel on…
The Holocaust (Nazi Germany's crimes against Jews and others in the 1930s and 1940s) developed into an industry, with many charities, books and films. Some people have been accused of…
"Hello Brooklyn" is a popular saying the borough. There was a 1928 burlesque called "Hello, Brooklyn." "Adios Manhattan and hello Brooklyn" was printed in a 1986 book.…
The September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were a national tragedy, but some have been accused of profiting (or "milking") the tragedy too much for personal…