Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"If people are trying to bring you down, it only means that you are above them" is saying that has been printed on many posters. "There will always be someone trying to bring you…
"Road Pirates -- Paid by/with your money to steal your money" is a popular poster. The saying refers to "theft by cop" (civil asset forfeiture), where police stop cars and take…
"Who was the wisest financial investor in the Bible?" begins an old joke. The answer is Noah because he was able to float a company while the rest of the world was in liquidation. The…
"Love is grand: divorce is a hundred grand" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as posters, bumper stickers and T-shirts. "Love is grand, but divorce…
"Life is too short for fake butter, cheese or people" is a saying that has been printed on many posters. The saying was first cited on Twitter on November 9, 2012. Similar sayings include…
"Cardboardeaux" or "Cardbordeaux" (cardboard + Bordeaux wine) is a jocular name for a box wine. "It's no longer called 'box wine' -- the classy term is…
"Courage is fear that has said its prayers" is a popular motivational quote on many posters, but it's almost always misattributed. The line comes from the short poem…
“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it" is often credited to American author Mark Twain, the pen name of…
The Italian mafia boss Don Corleone spoke the following line in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather (1969, later made into a 1972 film): "He's a businessman. I'll make him an offer…
There is a combination bar joke and lawyer joke. The "Do you serve lawyers here?" joke has been cited in print since at least 1994 and is of unknown authorship. Google Groups:…
"What's the difference between a bassoon and a trampoline? You take off your shoes to jump on a trampoline" is a musician joke that has been cited in print since at least 1992. It…
"All lawyers are jerks!" is a line in a popular lawyer joke. The joke has been cited in print since at least 1998 and is of unknown authorship. Google Groups: alt.callahansA short one for…
A popular lawyer joke involves the price of a lawyer's brain relative to brains of other professions. The joke has been cited in print since at least 1994 and is of unknown authorship. The…
"How do you keep/stop an elephant from charging? You take away his credit card!" This joke (along with other elephant jokes) went viral in 1963 and 1964 and is of unknown authorship.…
"A lawsuit is something no one wants to have and no one wants to lose" is a popular legal contradiction that appeared in the American Bar Association Journal in 1920. "What is it…
"Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks" is a joke that became popular on the Internet in the 1990s. The joke has been cited in print since at least 1997. The joke is…
A popular lawyer joke about billable hours dates in print to at least the early 1980s. A lawyer died at a young age and complained to St. Peter in heaven that he was taken from the earth too soon.…
"Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor" is a popular quotation that has been printed on many posters. American author Truman Capote (1924-1984) said in…
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head football coach John McKay (1923-2001) was asked by a reporter after a loss what he thought about the execution of the team's offense. "I'm in favor of it…
"Big Apple Red" has been a popular color of nail polish. "Nail polish sorted out by color: Peach Ice, Flamingo Pink, Big Apple Red" was cited in print in 1970, but the nail…