Always Seek Knowledge (“ask” backronym)
"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 Staten Island Ferry is the poor man’s Circle Line”
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…
“I asked the waitress for a ‘quickie’ and she slapped me” (quiche joke)
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”
"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”
"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”
"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 the poor man’s cruise ship”
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…
Star-Spangled Banner (Star-Spangled Flag)
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…
City of Golden Dreams
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” (football and running expression)
"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” (craft beer adage)
"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”
"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.…
“I’m having fruit salad for dinner…” (wine joke)
"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.…
“The word ‘Fat’ just looks like someone took a bite out of the word ‘Eat’”
"Fat" looks like the word "Eat." "The word 'Fat' is only one dash away from the word 'Eat'" was cited on Twitter on August 16, 2009. "The word…
“Never walk the leadoff hitter” (baseball adage)
"Never walk the leadoff hitter/man" is an old baseball adage. You don't give the batter a free pass to first base -- rather, throw a strike and give the fielders an opportunity to…
Donor Maintenance
The term "donor maintenance" became news during the Presidential administration of Bill Clinton. Bob Woodward wrote in the Washington (DC) Post on March 2, 1997: "While Clinton…
“You can’t play boxing” (“You don’t play boxing”)
"You can play baseball, you can play basketball, you can play football, but you can't/don't play boxing," boxers frequently say. The expression implies that boxing is a much…
“Lightning may not strike twice, but tornadoes do”
"Lightning never strikes twice in the same place" is an old proverb. "Lightning may never strike twice in the same place, but tornadoes do" is an extension of the proverb that…
“Lightning never strikes twice in the same place”
"Lightning never strikes twice in the same place" is more a statement of mathematical odds than one of scientific certainty. There are many exceptions to the rule. For example, lightning…
“You can’t fire 25 players, so you fire the manager”
What's a losing sports team to do? "You can't fire 25 players, so you fire the manager," a popular theory holds. "But when a club isn't winning it is always easy to…