Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
U.S. President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) addressed the annual Gridiron Club dinner (usually a humorous occasion) in Washington, DC, both in 1986 and in 1988, saying: "Before I refuse to take…
Guy Fieri, a restaurateur and Food Network personality, opened Guy's American Kitchen & Bar (220 West 44th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues) in New York City in the fall of 2012.…
"Actions speak louder than words" is a proverb that has been cited in print since about the 1600s. "Actions speak louder than words, but they do not speak as often" was cited in…
"Generation X" is a term that was popularized in 1991 to describe people born between the early 1960s and the early 1980s. "Generation XL" ("XL" meaning "extra…
"Sushi sickness" was the Urban Dictionary's Urban Word of the Day for December 2, 2012, but the term has been little-used. "Sushi sickness" means an illness someone has…
Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager (1982) and other books, said in 1984: "A British friend of mine calls it the seagull-type of management. The big guy flies in, dumps on…
Colgate Hoyt (1849-1922), an American businessman, said in 1901: "Business founded on friendship is friendship endangered, but friendship founded on business is friendship assured." John…
The following three lines were printed in 1882 and credited as "Motto on the walls of a school in Germany"" When wealth is lost, nothing is lost;When health is lost, something is…
"If there's anything a public servant hates to do it's something for the public" is a popular cynical remark about the self-interest of "public servants." "If…
Comedy writer Robert Orben wrote in 1978: "My rather elderly neighbor is complaining: 'I'm at that age when I'll have nothing to do with natural foods. I need all the…
"All things come to him who waits" was a popular proverb in the 19th century and is now popularly written as "good things come to those who wait." "All things come to him…
"Great ideas originate in the muscles" means that the great ideas come from hard work. The quotation has been cited in print since at least 1991, when it was attributed to American…
"All things come to him who waits" was a popular proverb in the 19th century and is now popularly written as "good things come to those who wait." "Everything comes to him…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Chronicling America26 October 1901, The Evening Star (Washington, DC), pg. 18, col. 3:From the Baltimore Sun.There is no substitute for hard work in winning success. There…
Moxie is a trademarked beverage that was originally bottled in 1884 and sold as "nerve food." Moxie advertising in 1940 contained the line "He's got Moxie!" -- defined in…
American cartoonist and writer Ted Key (1912-2008) did a series of posters and one illustrated saying achieved popularity: "Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it.Autograph your…
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) said in July 1955: "We cannot look at this whole situation with out realizing first that pessimism never won any battle, whether it was in peace…
RadioShack consumer electronics retail store began in 1921 as "Radio Shack" and adopted "RadioShack" in 1995. The RadioShack nickname of "Radio Slack" has been cited…
RadioShack consumer electronics retail stores began in 1921 as "Radio Shack" and adopted "RadioShack" in 1995. The RadioShack nickname of "Radio Shaft" has been cited…
Bubba Gump Shrimp Company takes its name and inspiration from the movie Forrest Gump (1994); the characters Forrest Gump and Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue went into the shrimping business…