Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
Entry in progress -- B.P. ARmy Rumour SErvice (ARRSE)Blogg10-08-2007, 14:22 Re: Is a global recession on the way? Ah, there is an old saying:Bad numbers are harder to add up than good ones.…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Icing the kickerIn the sport of American football or Canadian football, the act of icing the kicker or freezing the kicker is a tactic employed by defending…
"The poor complain about the money they can't get and the rich complain about the money they can't keep" is a line that appeared frequently in the newspaper columns of New York…
An entertainment adage holds that one should "never meet your heroes" (or "never meet your idols"). A hero on a stage or a movie screen can be very different in real life.…
"Airplanes may kill you, but they ain't likely to hurt you" has been credited to baseball pitcher Satchel Paige (1906-1982). The saying means that air travelers are seldom injured;…
The saying "the inmates are running the asylum" means chaos, just like having the animals run the zoo. The saying is used in government, the military, education, sports, entertainment and…
"B.C. stands for 'Before Coffee'" is a jocular saying that coffee lovers have even printed on a poster. "Although historians deny it, the acronym B.C. stands for…
"Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits" is a jocular saying about an old person, but has been used to describe any person of inaction (such as someone in government). The…
The initials "WTF" usually stand for "What The Fuck." "WTF" (Where's The Food)" is a jocular variation on the letters that has been printed on many gift…
A "fryscraper" (fry + skyscraper) is a tall building that reflects the sun's heat, "frying" objects at a certain distance away from it. In 2013, the building under…
A "steakhouse index" gauges the health of an economy by the health of its steakhouses. If an economy is doing well, businesses entertain clients at steakhouses; if an economy is doing…
"Winespeak" is the specialized language used in the wine industry. "Winespeak" can involve a technical term (such as "foxy," from "fox grapes") or a lengthy…
"Be nice to America or we'll bring democracy to your country" is a popular bumper sticker saying. Dan R. Frazier of CarryABigSticker.com possibly coined the saying, which has been…
"Mu child is an honor student" has been a popular bumper since the 1980s. "My kid is an honor student & my president is an idiot" (or "My child is an honor student; My…
"Jockularity" (jock + jocularity) is humor involving sports jocks (athletes). "Or to create a new word, they did not accept their stereotyped role (the dumb athlete -- ed.) with…
the "Department of Redundancy Department" is a jocular name for a fictitious government department. Many newspapers had a "Redundancy Department" that featured redundant speech.…
"Real girls eat meat" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as T-shirts, posters and bumper stickers. Bruce Feirstein's book Real Men Don't Eat…
"Drugs: Responsible for teaching Americans the metric system" is a jocular saying that has been printed on bumper stickers are T-shirts. "Drugs are responsible for teaching Americans…
"The finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race" is a saying that has been printed on posters. "The finish line is just the beginning" was said by a wheelchair…
"A friend is someone who knows all about you but likes you anyway" is a popular saying that has been printed on many posters. The saying was written by an unknown ten-year-old schoolboy…