Spox (spokesperson)
"Spox" is a popular headline shorthand for "spokesperson." The term "spox" was used in 1996 and then frequently in 2006 in the context of Israeli government…
Anti-Dollar (gold nickname)
Gold has frequently been called the "anti-dollar." When the dollar is worth less, the price of gold (in dollars) increases. The "anti-dollar" nickname for gold became popular by…
Killing (“make a killing”)
To "make a killing" means to make a large (and usually quick) profit. "Make a killing" has been cited in print since at least 1887, when it was used in horseracing. The saying…
“Make a living, not a killing”
"Make a living, not a killing" has been cited in print since at least 1959 and has appeared on signs in the 2011 "Occupy Wall Street" protests. The saying plays upon the slang…
“Television is called a medium because it is neither rare nor well done”
"Television is called a medium because it is neither rare nor well done" is a classic joke about early television. "Definition 'Television: A new medium—rare, if well…
Occupier (Occupy Wall Street participant)
The Occupy Wall Street movement began on September 17, 2011 with protests at New York City's Zuccotti Park. Other cities throughout the world began their own "Occupy" movements. The…
“If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right”
Apple Inc. founder Steve Jobs (1955-2011) delivered an emotional and personal commencement address at Stanford University in 2005: "When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like:…
“Slow food is good food”
The "slow food" movement (the opposite of "fast food") was founded in Italy in 1986. The movement encourages regional cuisines and locally grown food. The saying "slow food…
“Store what you eat and eat what you store”
"Store what you eat and eat what you store" is a popular adage of storing survival foods. The foods stored should be what a person likes to eat, and the foods should be eaten before they…
“Don’t scare the horses or the children”
The British actress Mrs, Patrick Campbell (1865-1940) is supposed to have said about an actor or about the playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), "I really don't mind what people do, so long…
Shaggy Dog (Frito chili pie + hot dog)
A "Shaggy Dog," as served at the Texas Chili Parlor at the State Fair of Texas, is a hot dog topped with a Frito pie (Fritos corn chips, chile con carne and cheese). The "Shaggy…
Backstop
To "backstop" (or "back stop") something is to support or back up or bolster it. A monetary "backstop" is financial support against bankruptcy or other financial…
Expendables (children in drug smuggling operations)
An October 2011 Reuters news report detailed that Mexican drug cartels recruit Texas children for their operations. The drug gangs named the children "the expendables." The name was…
Siberia (second-class restaurant seating)
Siberia is known as a cold, inhospitable place in Russia; political prisoners were sent to work camps in Siberia and never heard from again. "Siberia," in slang, is any such similar…
Occutard (Occupy Wall Street + retard)
The "Occupy Wall Street" movement in 2011 received both cheers and scorn for the "occupiers." The derogatory nickname "Occutard" or "occutard" (occupy +…
“This is what democracy looks like”
"This is what democracy looks like" was a chant at the protests of the World Trade Center Ministerial Conference in Seattle, Washington in December 1999. The protests have been called the…
My Entire Team Sucks (New York Mets nickname)
The New York Mets baseball team was founded in 1962. The "METS" backronym of "My Entire Team Sucks" has been cited in print since at least 1994 and 1998, usually used by fans of…
Arrestable (protester predetermined to be arrested)
An "arrestable offense" is some action that violates the law. "Arrestables" are protesters who are predetermined to be arrested. Organizers of protests often stage the arrests…
“Pizza is like sex” (Goldberg Pizzeria axiom)
Larry Goldberg (1933-2003) founded the first Goldberg's Pizzeria in New York City in the late 1960s; the last one was closed in 2002. Goldberg's Pizza Book (1971) contained one enduring…
“Broke is temporary, but poor is a state of mind”
Mike Todd (1909-1958). who produced the film Around the World in Eighty Days and who was married to the actress Elizabeth Taylor, made and lost several fortunes. "I've never been poor,…