Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
An ice hockey referee wears a black-and-white jersey. Vern Buffey titled his hockey memoir, Black and White and Never Right: A Hockey Referee (1980). It not known when the "black and white and…
"Make America Great Again" is a political slogal that was used by Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) in the 1980s. American businessman and politician Donald Trump used the slogan since at least…
"New England of the West" is an old nickname for Minnesota. In the first half of the 19th century, many new areas of the west wanted to be compared to the success of New England. The…
Two cities that are close neighbors are sometimes called "twin cities." ""Our line commences at the twin cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny, the metropolis of Western…
"Thank you, craft beer, for making my alcoholism seem like a neat hobby" is a jocular line that has been printed on T-shirts and ecards. The original line -- with "micro…
University of Notre Dame head football coach Frank Leahy (1908-1973) wrote 10 thoughts in 1946, one of which was: "7 -- Prayers work better when your players are big." The line is often…
An old calendar pun is: Q: Can February March?A: No, but April May. The joke has been cited in print since March 1886, when it was printed in several American newspapers. The joke originally…
There's an old "Building and Loan" joke: She: Let's play Building & Loan.He: OK. How do you play?She: You get out of the building and leave me alone. The joke has been cited…
An old restaurant joke about something "on the menu" is: Customer: "Is there any soup on the menu today?"Waiter: "There was, sir, but I just wiped it off." The joke…
Minnesota has been called the "Bread and Butter State" because of its wheat and dairy production. For the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, New York, in 1901, the state of Minnesota…
The state of Wisconsin has long been known for its dairy industry. A 1924 newspaper ad for "Pabst Wonder Cheese" called Wisconsin "America's fairest dairyland." "Made…
The St. Paul sandwich is a sandwich that contains egg. The original "St. Paul" sandwich dates to the 1890s, and a "St. Paul" sandwich (or "egg foo young" sandwich) has…
"Don't be evil" is the motto of Google, an American multinational technology company. Google engineer Amit Patel wrote the saying on whiteboards in 1999. In 2000, when the company…
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collects revenue for the United States federal government. The IRS taxes income, and the IRS nickname of "Income Reduction Service" has been used…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Other Utica foods include chicken riggies and jelly buns. Wikipedia: Black and white cookieHistory and difference from half-moonsThe exact origin of the black-and-white…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Other Utica foods include chicken riggies and half-moon cookies. Holland Farms Bakery & Deli (Yorkville, NY)Jelly Buns, Jelly Buns, Squishy whishy Jelly Buns, Holland…
The "Iowa" state name comes from the Native American "Ioway" tribes, but some people give it a backronym (back acronym). ""I Owe the World an Apology" is an Iowa…
The "Iowa" state name comes from the Native American "Ioway" tribes, but some people give it a backronym (back acronym). ""Idiots Out Walking/Wandering Around" is…
The city of Rochester, in western New York (not Rochester, Minnesota), is sometimes given the unflattering nicknamed of "Rottenchester" (rotten + Rochester). 'Rottenchester" was…
The country of Finland has long been known for its many lakes -- estimated to number over 187,000 lakes, and there is also a Finnish lake district. "Land of the thousand lakes" was a…