Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind" is a popular saying that has been credited to brand designer Walter Landor (1913-1995). It's uncertain when he…
"The F in Physics stands for Fun" was cited on Twitter on January 7, 2010. A tweet on September 20, 2011 was a little more detailed: "the f in physics stands for fun"…
“You’re drunk when you feel sophisticated and can’t pronounce it" is a jocular one-liner from the New York City humor magazine The Judge in 1937. "Drunk is when you feel…
"The radar gun gets you drafted, but you have to pitch to get to the big leagues" is a baseball adage that Nationals assistant general manager (later Braves chief of scouting) Roy Clark…
"You can never have too much pitching" is an old baseball adage of unknown authorship. "You never have enough pitching" was cited in print in 1940; "You can't have…
"Vitamin N" -- for "nature" was popularized by Richard Louv in his book, The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder (2011). Louv stated that…
"ALICE" is a acronym for "Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed." Members of the ALICE class work to earn just enough to get by; anything unexpected -- such as an illness…
"Always Seek Knowledge" is a backronym (back acronym) of the word "ask" that has been printed on many posters. "A$k: Always seek knowledge" was cited in a 1987 book.…
The Circle Line is sightseeing service that operates in New York's waterways; a tour guide explains the attractions. The Staten Island Ferry goes from lower Manhattan to Staten Island and…
A popular food joke has a man tell a waitress that he wants a "quickie." She slaps him. Another diner tells the man, "I think that's pronounced 'quiche.'" The…
"Carrots are a great thing to eat when you are hungry and want to stay that way" is a jocular one-line saying by Mara Wilson that was cited on Twitter on October 9, 2014. The joke quickly…
"I'm trying to kick dairy and now I've got the milk shakes" is a jocular one-line saying that was cited on Twitter on September 3, 2014. The joke started to become popular on…
"In grade school it's called bullying, but when you get older it's called upper level management" is a jocular one-line saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as…
A ferry is cheaper than a cruise ship. "A ferry is the poor man's cruise ship" has been said often, usually to describe either the Staten Island Ferry or the Alaska Marine Highway…
The term "star spangled flag" dates to 1805. Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) wrote a poem to the then-popular London tune of "To Anacreon in Heaven" that included the lyric: By…
New York City has infrequently been called the "City of Golden Dreams." "That city of golden dreams and gold bricks, New York, N. Y." was cited in print in 1908. "The City…
"The hay is in the barn" is a sports expression that means that preparations are over and the athlete (or team) is ready for the event. The expression first became popular among college…
"Once you go craft, you never go back" is a popular slogan of the craft beer movement. "Once you go craft, you never go back" was cited on Twitter on December 18, 2009. "I…
"Whiskey is the hand sanitizer for the soul" was posted on Twitter by GirlonTapas on October 21, 2014. The jocular one-line saying quickly became the subject of many tweets.…
"Having fruit salad for dinner. Well, its mostly grapes actually. Ok, all grapes. Fermented grapes. Im having wine for dinner" was cited on Twitter on January 19, 2013, based on an ecard.…