“That’s show business” (“That’s show biz”)
"That's show business" (also "That's show biz" or "That's showbiz") means something similar to "That's life!" -- there's bad along…
“Service is the rent we pay to live on this earth”
“Service is the rent we pay for a room on earth" was cited in print in 1917 (when it was an inscription over the doorway of a hospital in India) and is of unknown authorship. The saying is…
“Shrouds have no pockets”
"Shrouds have no pockets" means that earthly possessions can't be taken along when people die. The saying was popularly expressed in this frequently reprinted October 1858 newspaper…
“What do you call 500 lawyers on the bottom of the ocean? A good start.” (lawyer joke)
One of the most popular of all lawyer jokes is: "What do you call 500 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?""A good start." The joke became famous when it was spoken by actor…
Vegucate (vegan/vegetarian + educate); Vegucation
To "vegucate" someone is to educate a person about veganism/vegetarianism. "A Good Vegucation" is the title of a song that was copyrighted in 1997. Paul Dickson's 1998 book…
Livermush (Liver Mush)
Livermush (or "liver mush") is a dish that is similar to scrapple, except a pig's liver is used instead of a pig's feet. Cornmeal, sage an pepper are added, making it resemble a…
Shigging
"Shigging" is a term used in barbecue competitions and has been defined as entering another team's site with intent of stealing BBQ secrets in an effort to improve one's own…
Hodger
A "hodger" is a guest who eats most of the host's food and drinks most of the host's drinks. "Hodger" has been listed in The Online Slang Dictionary since 2002 and is…
Potemkin Journalism (Potemkin Journalist)
A "Potemkin village" is a fake one that's meant to deceive. Russian minister Grigory Potemkin is said to have built fake villages along the Dnieper River in 1787 so that Empress…
Nonstaurant (non-traditional restaurant)
The word "nonstaurant" was popularized in San Francisco in 2009. Lessley Anderson's article on the blog CHOW on May 12, 2009, "A New San Francisco Nonstaurant at Bruno’s"…
Huckdummy (Hucky Dummy)
"Huckdummy" (also "huck dummy") or "huckydummy" (also "hucky-dummy" or "hucky dummy") is a cowboy's name for baking-powder biscuits with…
Four B’s of Old West Cooking—Biscuits, Beans, Beef and Bacon
Cowboy food often starts with the letter "b" as in bacon, beans, beef, biscuits and bread. "Three B's" of army life were cited in 1916 -- beef, beans and bacon. "Four…
Overland Trout (bacon)
"Overland trout" is a cowboy slang name for "bacon." The term "overland trout" was part of a larger cowboy slang list that was printed in many newspapers in 1887.…
“Politics is downstream from culture”
"Politics is downstream from/of (the) culture" means that the culture comes first and then the laws, not the other way around. Laws against slavery, for example, must be preceded by…
Conned-sumer (conned + consumer)
"Conned-sumer" of "connedsumer" (conned + consumer) is a term used to describe a consumer who is being conned by a seller. The term was coined in the title of the book The…
OpEx (Operational Expenditure)
"OpEx" (also "OPEX" and "opex") stands for "operational expenditure" or "operational expense" or "operating expenditure" or…
CapEx (Capital Expenditure)
"CapEx" (also "CAPEX" or "capex") stands for "capital expenditure" or "capital expense." "OpEx" (also "OPEX" and…
Liestrong (Livestrong nickname)
Livestrong is the Austin, Texas-based cancer awareness charity that was founded in 1997 by cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. Armstrong -- winner of the Tour de France seven consecutive…
“Pinch an inch” (“pinch test” fat measure)
The "pinch test" (popularly called by the rhyme "pinch an inch") is simply a pinch of flesh -- usually performed at the waist -- between the thumb and forefinger. If someone can…