“Please Eat The Activist” (PETA backronym)
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an animal rights organization, founded in 1980. "Please Eat The Activist" is a PETA backronym (back acronym) that has been cited in…
Disneyland for Wall Street (Manhattan)
Disneyland (a Disney theme park in Anaheim, California) is often used as a metonym for "fantasy land." Michael Krieger, of the Liberty Blitzkrieg website, described Manhattan as…
“The first thing I do each morning is to read the obituaries” (joke)
"The first thing I do each morning is to read the obituaries in the newspaper," an old person often jokes. "If I don't see my name, I go make breakfast." "When I get…
“How did the hipster burn his tongue?” (joke)
"How did the hipster burn his tongue?" is a popular joke, with the answer being that the hipster had coffee or pizza "before it was cool." "I tried being a hipster by…
“Why don’t lions like fast food?” (joke)
"Fast food" means food that is prepared quickly -- not animals that are fast or slow. "Why doesn't a lion like fast food?" is a joke that was on Twitter on August 15, 2012.…
“Head in the oven, feet in the freezer” (statistician joke on “averaging”)
A popular joke about the statistical "average" involves the statistician who put his head in an oven and his feet in a freezer, saying, "On average, I feel fine." The joke…
“Advertising is what you pay for; publicity is what you pray for”
"Advertising is what you pay for; publicity (or public relations) is what you pray for" is a popular business saying. "Advertising is what you pay for; publicity is what your public…
Cupcakery (cupcake + bakery)
A "cupcakery" (cupcake + bakery) is a bakery that specializes in cupcakes. The term "cupcakery" has been cited in print since at least 2001. Many establishments have…
“So far, so good!” (Empire State Building jumper joke)
A joke is told about the "optimist" who fell or jumped off New York City's Empire State Building. As he was falling many floors, someone asked, "How's it going?" He…
“Minor surgery is surgery that happens to someone else”
"Minor surgery is surgery that happens to someone else" is an old medical joke. "Surgery is only minor if it happens to someone else" was mentioned as an "old joke" in…
“Great trade! Who’d we get?”
Philadelphia Phillies baseball player Lenny Dykstra was told, in December 1991, that teammate Von Hayes had been traded. Dykstra said: "Hey, that's a great trade, who did we get?"…
“What do you call someone who hangs around musicians?”/“A drummer.”
Drummers have been the subject of many jokes. One popular joke is: Q: What doyou call someone who hangs out with musicians?A: A drummer. It's not known who first told the joke, but the joke…
“The Senate is the enemy” (House of Representatives saying)
A popular story told about the House of Representatives is that a freshman Democrat declared that a Republican across the aisle was his enemy. A House colleague told the freshman Representative…
“A woman walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a double entendre” (bar joke)
One popular bar joke is: "A woman walked into a bar and ordered a double entendre, so the barman gave her one." It's not known who originated the joke. "A girl waks into a bar…
“The team that gets the best player wins the trade”
"The team that gets the best player wins the trade" is a sports adage meaning that trading for quality ("the best player") is better than trading for quantity (several good…
Do-Nothing Congress
The 80th United States Congress (March 3, 1947-January 3, 1949), controlled by the Republicans, was frequently called by the minority Democrats as the "Do-Nothing Congress." The term…
“I’m on a whiskey diet. I’ve lost three days already!”
"I'm on a whiskey diet. I've lost three days already!" is a joke that has been credited to British prop comedian and magician Tommy Cooper (1921-1984). "I'm on a…
“Summer has arrived when the rain is warm”
An old joke is told in places where it rains much of the time: "Summer has arrived (in Seattle/ Vancouver/ Ireland/ Scotland/ Wales/ England) when the rain is warm." "You can tell…
“There, I guess King George will be able to read that!” (John Hancock?)
John Hancock (1737-1793) was president of Congress when the Declaration of Independence was adopted; he signed the document with a large signature in the center, supposedly saying: "There, I…
“The first draft of anything is shit”
Arnold Samuelson, a young aspiring writer from North Dakota, met up with his idol, American author Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), in Key West in 1934. Samuelson became Hemingway's "boat…