Barclays Center Classic (Brooklyn Hoops)
The Barclays Center is a sports arena in Brooklyn. In November 2011, Barclays announced that it would open its arena on November 9, 2012 with the college basketball "Barclays Center…
“A friend in need is a damned nuisance”
"A friend (when one is in) need is a friend indeed" is an English proverb almost as old as England. An American spin to "a friend in need" defines this as "a needy…
“Shopping days until Christmas”
Many newspaper articles and advertisements count down the number of "shopping days until/'til/till Christmas/Xmas." The "shopping days till Christmas" ads date to at least…
“There’s no crying in baseball!” (“There’s no sentiment in baseball”)
It has long been said that baseball is a business and "there is no sentiment in baseball." Players get bought and sold and traded. The Players' League of 1890 tested the…
“Once you get Florida sand in your shoes, you never want to leave”
"Once you get Florida sand in your shoes, you never want to leave" (or "you will always return/come back") is a popular Florida saying that has spread to anyplace with sand. The…
“Trade follows the flag”
The slogan "trade follows the flag" dates to at least 1862, when the Union tried to discourage trade with the Confederacy. The saying became very popular in the second half of the 19th…
“It’s a free country!”
"It's a free country!" means that the speaker believes that he or she can disagree with another and do something that another disapproves of. The saying has a long history in the…
Destination Restaurant
A "destination restaurant" is a restaurant that draws people from beyond its neighborhood to specifically eat there. Destination restaurants can be theme restaurants or high quality…
Tip Jar
Many sandwich shops, coffee houses and ice cream shops have a "tip jar" (or "tip jug" or "tip can") near the cash register so that satisfied customers can add a…
“Piss on the fire and call in the dogs”
To "piss on the (camp)fire and call in the dogs" is an alleged cowboy saying for quitting time. The saying has been cited in print since at least 1969 and has been used by many Texas…
POSX (U.S. Dollar Index or USDX nickname)
The U.S. Dollar Index (USDX) began in March 1973 and indexes the value of the United States dollar to foreign currencies. Turd Ferguson, of the blog TF Metals Report (his previous blog was…
Cowboys Classic (college football game)
The Cowboys Classic is an annual opening weekend college football game played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The first game was played on September 5, 2009. The name "Cowboys…
“There are no small parts, only small actors” (theatre adage)
"There are no small parts, (there are) only small actors" is usually credited to theater director Constantin Stanislavski (1863-1938) of the Moscow Art Theatre. English citations of the…
“Anybody can manage the Yankees”
Baseball's New York Yankees have been so successful that it's been said that "Anybody/Anyone can/could manage the Yankees." The saying has been in print since at least 1933 and…
“Life is a marathon, not a sprint”
The marathon long-distance running event was introduced to the modern Oluympic events in 1896. The saying that something (life or marriage or business success or winning a war or running for…
Applejack
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Applejack (beverage)Applejack is a strong alcoholic beverage produced from apples, popular in the American colonial period. Applejack was historically made by…
Zuccotti Lung
In 2011, Zuccotti Park (formerly called Liberty Plaza Park, opposite the World Trade Center) filled up with Occupy Wall Street protesters. Some of the protesters starting coughing and labeled it…
Obscene Profit Timeout (commercial)
An "obscene profit timeout" is jocular term for a commercial. Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has called his show breaks "obscene profit timeouts" since at least…
Flat Broke
To be "flat broke" is to have absolutely no money. The word "flat" is added, perhaps, to emphasize that there is no bulge in any pants pocket to show even a single coin.…
Chocoholic
"Chocoholics" (chocolate + alcoholic) are addicted to (or just really love) chocolate. The term "chocoholic" has been cited in print since at least 1961 and 1964; it was one of…