Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
Many alumni joke that their school's development office always seem to find them to ask for money. The joke was told about Bates College in 2004 and about Harvard University in 2007 and 2011.…
Dance (especially the tango) has been called "a three-minute love affair (with a stranger)" and "a three-minute romance." It's not known who originated the descriptions.…
"The sideline is a defender's (best) friend" is a football saying. "The baseline is a defender's (best) friend" is a saying in basketball and tennis. If a football…
The movie Forrest Gump (1994) contains the classic line: "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." A slight, jocular variation has been printed on…
"Waitsplaining" (waiter/waitress + explaining) is when the waiter or waitress explains the menu to a diner. New York (NY) Times restaurant critic Pete Wells wrote on May 24, 2016:…
"Start every day with a smile" became a common saying by the 1930s. "Start every day with a smile and get it over with" is a jocular one-line saying that has been printed on…
American humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935) is often credited with the jocular saying: "There have been three great inventions since the beginning of time: fire, the wheel, and central…
The term "panic city" refers to the demand for some immediate action to end a bad situation. "Panic city" has been cited in print since the 1970s. New York Mets general manager…
"Who says a good newspaper has to be dull?" was the famous 1960s ad campaign for the New York (NY) Herald Tribune that attempted to take readership from the rival New York (NY) Times.…
One way to stop a co-worker from taking your lunch out of the refrigerator is to label the bag "stool sample," as one joke has it. "Someone stole @whaleysh's lunch. Sorry bud.…
"Lettuce turnip the beet" (let us turn up the beat) is a jocular line that has been printed on many images. "I’m a musical vegetarian. I always ask my girl to lettuce, turnip, the…
Skittles (fruit-flavored sweets) advertised "Taste the Rainbow" in U.S. newspapers in 1988. The saying is trademarked. "Eat the rainbow" is a culinary expression that has been…
"Fun City" is a New York City nickname that originated with Mayor John Lindsay (1921-2000) on his first week in office in January 1966. The nickname was satirically used and quickly lost…
The first building of Manhattan's Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village residential complex opened in 1947. The buildings became so attractive to new families that the development was nicknamed…
American actor Lew Parker (1910-1972) was credited in 1951 with the line: "If I had my life to live over, I'd live over a saloon." The jocular line has been usually credited since…
American humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935) wrote in January 1923: "Another innocent bystander was shot in New York yesterday. You just stand around this town long and be innocent and…
A joke about "contact" sports is: Q: Why don't football players wear glasses?A: Because it's a contact sport. "It seems wrong to wear glasses in a contact sport" was…
CNN (Cable Network News) provided live coverage of the 1991 Gulf War, including Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991). Many Americans watched CNN for the latest…
"A lawyer is a man who prevents anyone else from getting your money" is a jocular saying about lawyers that has been cited in print since at least 1955. The Chicago (IL)
"A lawyer helps you get what’s coming to him" is a jocular saying of unknown authorship that has been cited in print since at least December 1948. American composer and comedian Oscar…