“Chocolate, men, coffee—some things are better rich”
"Chocolate, men, coffee -- some things are better rich" is a humorous saying that has been printed on gift items such as coffee mugs and refrigerator magnets. The order of the three…
Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"Chocolate, men, coffee -- some things are better rich" is a humorous saying that has been printed on gift items such as coffee mugs and refrigerator magnets. The order of the three…
"Coffee keeps me busy until it's time to be drunk" is a humorous saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as coffee mugs and refrigerator magnets. The items have been…
"You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps" is a jocular sign that has been placed in many workplaces. "You don't have to be crazy to work here...but it…
"Tight for control, loose for power" is an adage for stringing a tennis racket or racquetball racquet, cited in print since at least 1983. The theory is that looser strings result in…
"Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have" is a popular employment adage, given to people looking for a job or hoping for a promotion from a present job. John T. Molloy's…
"You can expect what you inspect" has been credited by Wikipedia to the American statistician and author W. Edwards Deming (1900-1993), but there's no evidence that he either coined…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed in 2002, after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The DHS operates the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Citizenship and…
"You can't catch/defend/defense a walk" means that a pitcher shouldn't give up a walk (a free pass to first base) and should let the batter hit the ball, where a catch (or…
Two-out hits in baseball help extend an inning (and the game, if it's the ninth and final inning). "Two-out hits will get you (in)to heaven" is a baseball adage that emphasizes how…
"Swatting" (also "SWATing" or "SWATting") is when someone calls emergency service (such as "911") from an undetectable location to report a nonexistent crime…
"A goal is a dream with a deadline" means that a goal is a dream fitted to reality, with a deadline for its accomplishment. The saying has been attributed to Napoleon Hill (1883-1970),…
"Don't expect what you don't inpect" (also "Never expect what you don't inspect" or "You can't expect what you don't inspect") is from The…
"You can't tell the players without a score card/scorecard" is what baseball vendors yelled in the 1890s and 1900s to sell their score cards for a nickel. "You can't tell…
To "take one for the team" means a personal sacrifice a player makes for the benefit of the team. The expression began in baseball and has been cited in print since at least 1969. A…
"A win is a win (is a win)" is often said by the coach and players of a winning team, meaning that all that matters is the victory. If a heavy favorite pulls out an unexpectedly narrow…
"Demorrhoids" (Democrat + hemorrhoids) is an unflattering term used by people who don't like Democrats. The term "demorrhoids" (either upper or lower case, but usually…
"The best teams make the playoffs and the hottest team wins the championship" means that the team with the best regular season record doesn't always win the championship. The regular…
"That's why they play the game" is a popular sports adage meaning that the game isn't decided on paper. One team might have more talent and might be favored to win the game by…
"Churning" occurs when a broker executes many trades on an investment account; the trades are not necessarily in the best interests of the investor (the client), but the trades are in the…
An initial public offering (IPO) is when a company's stock becomes available for sale to the public. Many technology stocks have had much-anticipated IPOs, but that hasn't always…