University of Life
The "university of life" is the experience gained outside of formal schooling. The term "university of life" has been cited in print since at least 1853. A term similar to the…
School of Hard Knocks (University of Hard Knocks)
The "school of hard knocks" (also the "college of hard knocks" and the "university of hard knocks") means something that is learned from adversity, rather than formal…
“Gold, girls and glory” (three things that can destroy a preacher)
"Three G's" are said to be tempting to any preacher -- gold, girls and glory. There is a book titled God, Gold, Girls, and Glory (1966) by Wallace L. LaBaw, but it's about the…
“There is no education like adversity”
"There is no education like adversity" was written by Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (1804-1881) in Endymion (1880). William Hazlitt (1778-1830), in the essay "On the…
“They who drink beer think beer”
"They who drink beer will think beer" is a saying that has been printed on many gift items, often with a picture of author Washington Irving (1783-1859). Irving did write this in his…
“Too much attention to the pigskin doesn’t help the sheepskin” (sports vs. academics)
"Too much attention to the pigskin doesn't help the sheepskin" is a popular saying; "sheepskin" means a college academic diploma and "pigskin" means the covering…
“Whoever wins the turnover battle usually wins the game” (football adage)
"Whoever wins the turnover battle usually wins the game" is a generally accepted football adage. The term "turnover battle" (a "battle" with the "war" being…
“Welcome is the best dish on the table”
"Welcome is the best dish" is the title of a poem by John Heywood (1497-1580); the saying has also been attributed to John Lydgate (1370-1451). "Welcome is the best dish in the…
“You can run into debt, but you have to crawl out”
"You can run into debt, but you have to crawl out" is a jocular saying with a long history. "People 'run' into debt; but, sometimes, they 'crawl out of it'"…
“You can’t take a second drink unless you have taken a first”
"You can't take a second drink unless you have taken a first" was included in the book A Dictionary of American Proverbs (1991), but the saying has also been included on Internet…
“You don’t get what you deserve—you get what you negotiate”
"You don't get what you deserve -- you get what you negotiate" has been popularized by author and lecturer Dr. Chester L. Karrass. The line does not appear in the first edition of…
“Success is a ladder which cannot be climbed with your hands in your pockets”
"Success is a ladder which cannot be climbed with your hands in your pockets" is a proverb that means that one should work hard and take initiative in order to be successful. "Oh no,…
“Nobody has ever bet enough on a winning horse”
"Nobody has ever bet enough on a winning horse" is a popular saying at the racetrack, but it has also been used since the 1980s as an investment proverb. Robert Byrne's book The 637…
“Men build houses; women build homes”
Newspaper writer and poet Nixon Waterman (1859-1944) wrote "House and Home" in 1897, containing the following verses: "The men of earth build houses, halls and chambers, roofs and…
“Love many, trust few, and always paddle your own canoe”
"Paddle your own canoe" was printed in American newspaper poetical verses in 1826, 1845, 1854, 1864 and 1866; some of the verses were sung. The New-York Mirror of May 23, 1840 defined…
Reverse Mortgage
A reverse mortgage is a mechanism available to seniors allowing them to stay in their homes, but to withdraw the equity in the home; it is also called a reverse annuity mortgage (RAM). The term…
Black Monday (head coach firing day after NFL regular season)
"Black Monday" has been the name for various events -- usually bad -- that occur on a Monday. The National Football League's regular season ends with Sunday games; the head coaches…
“It’s all right to drink like a fish — if you drink what a fish drinks”
"It's all right to drink like a fish — if you drink what a fish drinks" is a jocular one-line saying that was credited by H. L. Mencken's 1942 quotation dictionary to Mary…
“Don’t go wobbly” (“This is no time to go wobbly”)
U.S. President George H. W. Bush telephoned British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on August 26. 1990 about the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait earlier that month and United Nations Security Council…
Creepublican (creep + Republican)
"Creepublican" (creep + Republican) is a nickname used by those who think that Republicans are creepy. "Creepublican" has been cited in print since at least 1997.…