Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
American journalist and author H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) wrote in A Book of Burlesques (1916): "Wealth. Any income that is at least $100 more a year than the income of one's wife's…
Tony Romo became the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys during the 2006 season. He did not experience playoff success, and "Romoing" became a term for choking or failure.…
"Homebrewing is my hobby. Beer is my reward" has been printed on many T-shirts. "#Homebrewing is my #hobby...#beer is my #reward" was cited on Twitter on May 31, 2014. It's…
"What comes easy won't last; what lasts won't come easy" is a motivational saying that has been printed on many posters. "What comes easy won't always last. What lasts…
"It's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good" means that someone who is just "very good" isn't special enough to be voted into a sports hall of fame. "Nine…
"What's the difference between a plumber and a politician?" begins an old joke. "At the end of the day at least the dirt/slime washes off of a plumber." It's not known…
"He's smoking at a gas station because he's about to blow up!" was a catchphrase of Stuart Scott (1965-2015) on ESPN's SportsCenter. The saying means that a player is about…
Basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson wrote in his autobiography, My Life (1992): "But the fans never see how hard these players work in practice. They didn't see Larry Bird…
A player who is "as cool as the other side of a pillow" is someone who is calm under pressure. Stuart Scott (1965-2015), an anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter, popularized the catchphrase…
"A fool and his money are soon parted" is a popular English proverb that dates to the 1500s. "A fool and his money are lucky ever to have gotten together in the first place" is…
"Keep the dream alive! Hit the snooze button" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many posters. The saying has been cited in print since at least 2005. 45-Caliber…
"Wefense" (we + defense/offense) was popularized by Rich Bisaccia, the special teams coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2002 to 2010. Special teams is neither offense nor defense and…
Wikipedia's "Nicknames of New York City" states that New York has been called "The City with Everything," but this nickname has been only infrequently used in recent years.…
Charles Holland Duell (1880-1920), the commissioner of the United States Patent and Trademark Office from 1898 to 1901, supposedly told President McKinley in 1899 that the office should be…
"Recovery is a process, not an event" is a popular statement with many recovery programs. The saying has been cited in print since at least 1978, when it was printed in a California…
American astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson wrote in 1998: "It's sometimes said that if an argument lasts more than a few minutes, both sides are wrong. A splendid aphorism,…
A "triple-double" in basketball is when a player has double digit totals in three of five statistical categories -- points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots. The usual…
"One and done" refers to a loss that a team suffers in a single elimination championship tournament -- one loss and the team is gone from the tournament. "Won not done" means…
Google is a technology company noted for its Internet search engine. People who don't like Google have nicknamed the company "Scroogle" or "Screwgle" (screw/Scrooge +…
"You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb" is a slight misquotation of what American industrialist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) said in a speech at Union College…