Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"You cannot fool all of the people all of the time" is an old saying, frequently (and falsely) attributed to Abraham Lincoln. American film producer Joseph E. Levine (1905-1987) is…
"If it looks like a beer, smells like a beer and tastes like a beer, then it's a beer" is an old saying that may need revising. If it doesn't contain alcohol, is it a beer? If…
The New York City borough of Queens has a large international population; the borough hosted both the 1939 New York World's Fair and the 1964 New York World's Fair. In October 2014,…
"An accountant is someone who solves a problem you didn’t know you had in a way you don’t understand" is a popular accounting joke. "A genius is a guy who solves a problem you…
"Be for what is going to happen" is a political rule of uncertain origin. The saying means that a politician should take the side of a cause that is ultimately going to win. "The old…
"The IQ of a committee is equal to the IQ of the dumbest member divided by the number of people on the committee" is a quote of unknown authorship. "The I.Q. of the group is the I.Q.…
"The Four Laws of Accounting" (credited to Anonymous) were cited in The New Official Rules: Maxims for Muddling Through to the Twenty-First Century (1989) by Paul Dickson: 1. Trial…
The certified public accountant (CPA) exam in notoriously difficult to pass. The CPA bakcronymic (back acronym) nicknames of "Can't Pass (it) Again" and "Couldn't Pass (it)…
"Can't Produce Anything" is a popular backronym (back acronym) for "CPA" (certified public accountant), but it didn't start out representing accountants. The Coalition…
A country is said to have a "rock star economy" (or "rockstar economy") when the economy is famously successful, like a rock star. The term "rock star economy" was…
The restaurant concept of "fast fine" (fast food/fast casual + fine dining) was created by restaurateur Pierre Panos, who opened his Fresh To Order (F2O) restaurant chain in 2005. F2O…
"A panda walks into a restaurant" is the start of a classic joke. After the panda enjoys the meal, he shoots at the waiter and exits. The restaurant manager runs after the panda, who says…
"I just flew in from (Chicago, Los Angeles, New York) and boy, are my arms tired!" is a classic joke told by American comedians. That is, the arms had been flapping like a bird's…
The United States capital of Washington, District of Columbia ("D.C."), has been nicknamed "Washington Demands Cash" since at least 1958. The joke, however, has only rarely been…
"Racing improves the breed" is a popular adage of many kinds of racing. "That racing improves the breed of running horses, is not denied" was cited in print in 1835. Throughout…
A popular joke about birthday cake is: Q: Why do we put candles on top of a birthday cake?A: Because it's too hard to put them on the bottom! The joke has been cited in print since at least…
"Is it OK to use the AM radio after noon?" is a jocular one-liner that has been cited in print since at least 1995. The pun is on the two definitions for "AM" -- "ante…
"Why do we bake cookies and cook bacon?" is a jocular one-liner that has been cited in print since at least 2006. It's not known who first used the line. Geeks to Go…
"It just takes one team to draft you" (or "it just takes one team to fall in love with you") is a popular draft adage, especially in the NFL college draft. Most teams might not…
"I'm not fat -- I'm cultivating mass" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many T-shirts. The line was spoken on the American television sitcom It's Always Sunny in…