Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"Getting good players is easy; getting them to play together is the hard part" has been credited to baseball manager Casey Stengel (1890-1975). Stengel was manager of the New York Yankees…
"Adults are just kids with money" is a humorous saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as posters and bumper stickers. "Adults -- kids with money" has been cited…
The "Replyallcalypse" (Reply All + Apocalypse) occurred in November 2012 when New York University sophomore Max Wiseltier meant to forward an NYU Bursar's office message to his…
"Horn broke(n) -- watch for finger" has been a popular bumper sticker slogan since at least 1995. The authorship of the humorous saying is unknown. While "giving people the…
"I started out with nothing and I still have most of it left" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many images. American comedian Berl Williams (1918-1978) said in a "My…
"Lord, if I can't be skinny, please let all my friends be fat" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as T-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers and posters.…
"If all is not lost, (then) where is it?" is a jocular one-line saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as posters, buttons and T-shirts. The saying has been cited in print…
"I think adults are just children who owe money" was said in the movie Peter's Friends (1992). "Adults are just kids who owe money" has been cited in print since at least…
"The seven ages of man are spills (a baby -- ed.), drills (a child -- ed.), thrills (an adolescent -- ed.), bills (a parent -- ed.), ills (middle age -- ed.), pills (old age -- ed.) and wills…
"About the time we think we can make both ends meet, somebody moves the ends" has been credited to politician Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) and to writer Pansy Penner (1905-2000) in the…
"The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult is was" is a popular one-line saying of unknown authorship. "We agree that the trouble…
The Brooklyn Nets basketball team brought professional sports back to the borough of Brooklyn in November 2012, following an absence of over fifty years. The "Brook-lyn" chant began with…
“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime” is a popular proverb that means that it's better to have a person be able to support…
"You are always doing something marginal when the boss drops by your desk" is a jocular saying that has been cited in print since at least 1979, when it was called "Camille's…
"If it wasn't/weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as posters, mugs and T-shirts. "If it…
A motion to adjourn is almost always in order, with an exception being when a vote is in progress. The motion is not debatable and is not subject to amendment. "The motion to adjourn is always…
The question "How many people work here?" (meaning "how many employees are there") and the jocular answer "About half" (meaning "half of the employees work and…
"I'd rather be led to hell than managed to heaven" is a quotation of unknown authorship about the perils of over-managing employees. The quotation first appeared in Linux chat groups…
"Committees have become so important that a subcommittee has to be appointed to do the work" is a jocular saying that has been cited in print since at least April 1964, when it was…
"Rush hour" was named because people rush out of their homes to their workplaces in the morning, or out of their workplaces to their homes in the late afternoon. Traffic is usually at its…