Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"When I die, I want (X) to be my pallbearers so they can let me down one last time" is a popular meme on many images. That 'X" is often a sports player or sports team. "I…
"Oilpocalypse" (oil + apocalypse) can mean when the price of oil goes wildly up or down, or when there's a large oil spill. "Trust me, when the Oilpocalypse comes, I'll…
A jocular definition of a "glutton" appeared (uncredited) in a 1947 newspaper: "A glutton is a person who takes the piece of layer cake you wanted." "GLUTTON: Someone who…
A popular golf saying is: "The trees taunt you; the sand mocks you; the water calls your name...and they say golf is a quiet game." The saying has been cited in print since at least 2001…
Professional golfer Chi-Chi Rodriguez told many one-liners on the golf tour. At the U.S. Open in 1979, Rodriguez joked about a pencil: "That's the best wood in the bag for an amateur. If…
"Golf is an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle" was cited in 1999 and is of unknown authorship. "Golf can best be described as an endless series of…
A popular algebra joke has been printed on T-shirts and ecards: "Relationships are a lot like algebra. Have you ever looked at your X and wondered Y?" "This relationship shit is like…
A popular joke about gummy bears fruit candy is: Q: What you call a bear with no teeth?A: A gummy bear. The joke has been cited in print since at least 2004. Wikipedia: Gummy bearA gummy bear…
"√(-1) 2³ ∑π" ("i 8 sum Pi" or "I ate some pie") -- often followed with "and it was delicious" -- is a math joke that has been printed on T-shirts.…
A popular physics joke involving the Empire State Building is: "A physicist sees a young man about to jump off the Empire State Building. He yells 'Don't do it! You have so much…
A popular joke about a tv remote is: "I remember the first time I saw a universal remote control, and I thought to myself, 'Well, this changes everything.'" "A universal…
Entry in progress -- B.P.Sabal palmetto Wikipedia: Seal of South CarolinaThe Great Seal of the State of South Carolina was adopted in 1776. The seal is made up of two elliptical areas, linked by…
A popular pun about the tv remote is: "My friend told me a joke about a TV controller. It wasn't remotely funny." "I told my TV controller a joke. It wasn't remotely…
A not-safe-for-work joke is told about Valentine's Day. "If Valentines Day is for lovers... what day is for single men... Palm Sunday" was posted on the newsgroup rec.humor on…
Is a crime at a running race a race crime? There's a joke: "I shot someone with a starting gun. I've been charged with race crime." The pun was cited on Twitter on October 7,…
"Ground beef" is the subject of an obvious pun: "I dropped my burger on the floor. Now it's ground beef." "I dropped my beef on the ground haha ground beef" was…
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Oxford English Dictionary)mudhead, n.U.S. colloq. (derogatory). A native of Tennessee. Now rare.1838 T. C. Haliburton Clockmaker 2nd Ser. xix. 289 There's the…
A pun about speed bumps has made many images: "I have a fear of speed bumps, but I'm slowly getting over it." "I have an irrational fear of speed bumps but I'm getting over…
New York-based author Fran Lebowitz offered "Travel Hints" in her book Social Studies (1981): "Never relinquish clothing to a hotel valet without first specifically telling him that…
Police vehicles often go beyond the speed limit, and it's not clear if there is an emergency. There's a joke about this: Q: Why do police officers speed?A: Because they can. Who will give…