Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"In vino veritas" is an ancient Latin phrase meaning "in wine there is truth." The saying arises from the belief that alcohol releases inhibitions and that a person tells the…
"Shoes are required to eat in the cafeteria" is an old joke sign that supposedly appeared in a college cafeteria in 1975. Underneath the sign was scribbled, "Socks can eat any place…
"I used up all my sick days, so I called in dead" (or "I ran out of sick days, so I called in dead") is an office saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as…
In July 2012, New York City announced plans for proposed "micro-unit" apartments (under 450 square feet) for a city-owned building at 335 East 27th Street, in the Kips Bay neighborhood of…
"Bungler-in-chief" (or "bungler in chief") means any incompetent top executive. The term "bungler-in-chief" has been cited in print in 1917, 1967 and 1987, but the…
Money that is "vaporized" is money that has vanished, probably never return. The financial firm of MF Global declared bankruptcy on October 31, 2011; it was reported that client funds had…
"Bureaucratese" is a language spoken or written by bureaucrats, also often called "officialese" or "legalese" or "federalese" or "governmentese."…
"Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs" means to be very nervous -- the cat must not get the tail caught under a rocking chair. The syndicated newspaper column…
The word "job" is not an acronym for anything, but some have used the backronym (back acronym) of "just over broke." The backronym has been applied to minimum wage and other…
Nancy Astor (1879-1964) is often cited for the quotation, "One reason why I don't drink is because I wish/want to know when I am having a good time." This quotation appears to be a…
A "Jargarita" or "jargarita" (jar + margarita) is a margarita drink served in a jar, such as a Mason jar. The advantage this has is that the drink can be made to a larger size…
A "guaran-damn-tee" (or "guaran-dam-tee") is the strongest possible guarantee, with "damn" added for emphasis. "I'll guarandamtee ya" has been cited in…
"Second place is the first loser" is a popular sports saying that has been printed in many T-shirts. The saying has been cited in print since at least April 1994 and is of unknown…
"We bust ours to kick yours" (the word "asses" is implied, but omitted) is a popular high school sports saying that has been printed on many T-shirts. The saying has been used…
New York City-born comedian Joe E. Lewis (1902-1971) was quoted in 1965 for the line, "I distrust camels or anybody else who don't take a drink once in a while." The camel drinking…
"Beer: Helping ugly people get laid since 1862" (or "helping ugly people have sex since 1862" or "getting ugly people laid since 1862," or whatever date) is a popular…
"I drink to make other people (more/seem) interesting" is a quotation cited in many drinking quote collections. The saying has been printed on T-shirts and improperly credited to the…
"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not." This line has often been attributed to the comedian Steven Wright, but it's uncertain when (or if) he used it in a…
"Draft beer, not people/soldiers/students/men/boys" is a saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as T-shirts and buttons. "Draft beer, not students" has been cited…
The following quotation, attributed to Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), has appeared on many websites: “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any…