Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"No god, no peace; know god, know peace" has been cited in print since at least 1976. Many gun sayings have a similar formula. "No Guns - No Freedom; Know Guns - Know Freedom"…
"Sell the problem, not the solution" is a popular advertising adage. A potential customer must first realize that he or she has a problem -- and then that potential customer will seek a…
"Cut-off low, weatherman's woe" was a catchphrase of Dr. George Fishbeck, a television weatherman at KABC-TV in Los Angeles, California from 1972 to 1990. A cut-off low is a low…
A popular political argument is that marijuana is more or less harmless and that "the most dangerous thing about marijuana is getting caught with it." "The most dangerous thing about…
"Follow One Course Until Successful" -- a backronym (back acronym) of the word "focus" -- is popular business advice. A business should have focus on a specific goal. American…
"You are never more than a few feet away from a rat" is said about several big cities, but most specifically about London. "You know that wherever you are in London, you're only…
"Beware the injured/sick golfer" is an old golfing adage. Other golfers are apt to feel sorry for this golfer -- who then destroys them on the golf course. "The Sick Golfer" was…
"Food tastes better when cooked outdoors" is a popular saying of with no specific authorship. "Everything tastes better cooked outdoors!" was cited in print in 1941. "Every…
"I like my beer like I like my violence: domestic" has been posted on many bar signs. The bars possibly thought that the "joke" promotes domestic beer, but many patrons believed…
"Borders, language, (and) culture" is the catchphrase of conservative radio talk show host Michael Savage. Savage believes that a nation is defined by these three things. "Borders,…
British writer and journalist Hugh Kingsmill (1889-1949) once described the old pensioners living at a seaside hotel as "excrement living on increment." The infrequently used expression…
"Glambling" (glamorous + gambling; glam + bling) is an infrequently used term, usually to describe people (especially women) dressed in high fashion at a casino. "The Art of…
"I drink, therefore I am" (Bibo ergo sum) is a jocular saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as T-shirts and bumper stickers. The saying is a parody of the philosophical…
"Once you're over the hill, you begin to pick up speed" is a jocular saying used by some seniors and also some runners. The saying was first used by American cartoonist Charles M.…
The Huffington Post was started on May 9, 2005, by Arianna Huffington and others; the website features liberal/progressive news and opinion. "Huffing Paint Post" (implying…
American radio host and documentary filmmaker Alex Jones owns the website InfoWars.com, usually reporting alternative news that is left out of the mainstream media. A derogatory nickname of…
"A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person" was written by newspaper humor columnist Dave Barry in 1998. ""People who aren't nice to…
A graduate student who is in a Ph.D. program often completes all the requirements, except for a dissertation. Such a student has been nicknamed an ABD -- "All But Dissertation." The term…
"Medicrat" (medical + bureaucrat) is a term that has been used frequently since the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010), commonly known as…
"Love-locking" is when someone puts a lock (called a "love lock" or "love padlock") on a pole -- such as a pole on a bridge or in a train station -- and throws away…