Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
The NBA and NFL drafts are often held in New York City. A draft prospect is sometimes said to be "strong as a bull/ox" (very strong) or someone who can "run like a deer" (very…
Starbucks Coffee Company is a coffeehouse chain that began in Seattle, Washington in 1971. There are many Starbucks outlets in New York City, especially in Manhattan. The Starbucks nickname of…
Starbucks Coffee Company is a coffeehouse chain that began in Seattle, Washington in 1971. There are many Starbucks outlets in New York City, especially in Manhattan. Starbucks has been criticized…
Starbucks Coffee Company is a coffeehouse chain that began in Seattle, Washington in 1971. There are many Starbucks outlets in New York City, especially in Manhattan. There has been some criticism…
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991-92, there was a joke that the only communists left in the world could be found in China, Cuba, North Korea, and on American university campuses. The joke…
The Memorial Arch (constructed in 1889) of Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village reads: "Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of…
Barclays Bank was founded in 1690 and is headquartered in London. Barclays is known to New Yorkers mostly for its sponsorship of the Brooklyn arena ("Barclays Center") for the Nets of the…
The American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is an insurance company with headquarters in New York City. In September 2008, the U.S. federal government provided the company with billions in credit…
The American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is an insurance company with headquarters in New York City. In September 2008, the U.S. federal government provided the company with billions in credit…
A "food court" is a grouping of food vendors, usually part of a larger shopping mall. The Rouse Company popularized food courts, with the March 1974-opened Paramus (NJ) Park shopping mall…
"Bumfuck, Egypt" has been used in American slang since at least 1972 to mean a very remote place. Who knew that the place had a bank? "The First National Bank of Bumfuck" means…
"Disrespectchup" (disrespect + ketchup) was coined on Reddit on April 24, 2001, by a husband whose wife added ketchup to his "lovingly grilled lime pork tenderloin." The word…
Conservative radio talk show host Mark Levin read a Politico.com political news story, "Mission for anti-Palin movement: Expose her" by Kenneth Vogel, on the air on April 25, 2011. Levin…
'Spendaholic" (spend + -aholic) is someone who has the disease of excess spending, much like an acoholic has with alcohol. The term "spendaholic" has been cited in print since…
Deutsche Bank (literally, "German Bank") was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. There are several offices in New York City. Deutsche Bank is probably…
Deutsche Bank (literally, "German Bank") was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. There are several offices in New York City. Deutsche Bank is probably…
One Seattle, Washington, school supposedly told a student that she could make "spring spheres," but not "Easter eggs." (This April 2011 story has been disputed.) The…
"Live Free or Die" is the New Hampshire motto, approved in 1945 by its legislature after a suggestion by the Daughters of the American Revolution. New Hampshire's John Stark…
The "cracker barrel" (or "cracker-barrel") is a barrel containing crackers. "York Biscuit and Crackers in barrels and kegs" was printed in The Connecticut Courant…
Bank of America is one of the Big Four of America's banks (along with Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo). The nicknames "Bank of Amerika" (indicating a communist influence)…