Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Tommaso SalviniTommaso Salvini (January 1, 1829 in Milan – December 31, 1915 in Florence) was an Italian actor. His father and mother were both actors, and…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Edmund KeanEdmund Kean (17 March 1789 – 15 May 1833) was an English actor, regarded in his time as the greatest ever.(...)He died at Richmond, Surrey where he…
An old saying is that an entertainer is so good or so popular that he or she can "read the telephone book/directory" and the audience will still be satisfied. The saying appeared in print…
"Don't quit your day job" (or "Don't give up your day job" or "Keep your day job") is advice to an actor/artist/model/musician/writer who probably won't…
"Hide from (the) wind, run from (the) water" is a saying that has been used from Florida to Texas by emergency management teams for hurricane preparedness. The author of the saying is…
"Litter Stops Here" is the slogan that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority developed in 2011 to advertise on its black trash cans. New York (NY) Times -- City RoomApril 18, 2011,…
Condé Nast Publications is a worldwide magazine publishing company located in the Condé Nast building (4 Times Square). The Condé Nast nickname of "Condé Nasty" has been frequently…
The word "austerian" (sometimes capitalized as "Austerian"), meaning someone who advocates "austerity" measures, became popular in June 2010. "Austerian"…
"The Troika" (the three) is the nickname of the European Commission (EC), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The "troika" received this…
Collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) became so toxic that by August 2007 Ian Kerr dubbed them "Chernobyl death obligations" (after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster). The CDO…
The city of Wichita Falls, in the early 1900s, had about one saloon in every five businesses. By at least 1914, Wichita Falls was nicknamed "Whiskeyta Falls" (or "Whiskey-taw…
"Never screw up on a slow news day" is a popular political/public relations saying. On a slow news day, a small screw-up could be the lead news story, causing great embarrassment. The…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wiktionary: peakistNounpeakist (plural peakists)1. A supporter of the peak oil theory, or one who advocates policies that depend on this theory Wikipedia: Peak oilPeak oil…
A "doomer" (a term perhaps influenced by baby "boomer") is a person who believes in oncoming gloom and doom. The message board of PeakOil.com has used the term…
College football games usually are played on Saturday and professional NFL games are played on Sunday. The football cliché is that "on any given Saturday," any college football team can…
"A football team that has two (starting) quarterbacks has no (starting) quarterback" means that only one player can fill the starting quarterback position -- a leadership position on a…
The MSNBC network (headquartered in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan) is known for its progressive slant on political issues. The nickname “MSLGBT” (MSNBC + LGBT) is used by those who believe…
"The playoffs don't start until the home team loses a game" (or "No playoff series truly begins until the road team wins a game") is an old NBA saying. NBA coach Pat Riley…
"Sell when you can, not when you have to" is a market saying of uknown origin, cited in print since at least 1983. One should "sell when you can" (during a rising market, taking…
"Permabull" has been cited in print since at least 1994 and "permabear" since at least 1995. It's been said that the permabears and permabulls can be "permawrong"…