“Wagner’s music is better than it sounds” (opera adage)
"The peculiar characteristic of classical music is that it is really so much better than it sounds," wrote humorist Bill Nye (1850-1896) in September 1887. In November 1889, Nye wrote in…
Federal Dumb Asses (Food and Drug Administration or FDA nickname)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is part of the Department of Health and Human Services and is responsible for food safety, drug safety and other issues. The unflattering FDA nickname…
Always Think Forfeiture (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives or ATF nickname)
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) works within the U.S. Department of Justice to enforce the law regarding the subjects in the ATF's name. The ATF seizes many…
Oh Shoot, Here Again (Occupational Safety & Health Administration or OSHA nickname)
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) was created in the Occupational Health and Safety Act signed into law on December 20, 1970, to issue and enforce standards for workplace…
Our Savior Has Arrived (Occupational Safety & Health Administration or OSHA nickname)
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) was created in the Occupational Health and Safety Act signed into law on December 20, 1970, to issue and enforce standards for workplace…
Splash Crash
The term "flash crash" began after the sudden market drop on May 6, 2010. John Bates, the chief technology officer at Progress Software (Bedford, MA), wrote on February 1, 2011 to…
“I wouldn’t vote for you if you were St. Peter!”/“If I were, you wouldn’t be in my district!”
An old political joke (cited in print from at least 1940), has a political heckler saying, "I wouldn't vote for you if you were St. Peter himself." The politician swiftly answers…
“You must have long-range goals to keep from being frustrated by short-range failures”
"You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by the short-range failures," said Charles C. Noble, the Dean of Hendricks Memorial Chapel at Syracuse University, at a…
“The upper crust is a bunch of crumbs held together by a lot of dough”
"The upper crust, metaphorically speaking, is composed of a lot of crumbs held together by dough" is cited from May 1945, when it was credited to "J. C. T." A "crumb"…
DoWiSeTrePla (Down Wind of the Sewage Treatment Plant)
The television show How I Met Your Mother, in an episode airing November 5, 2007, described a hot, very affordable New York City neighborhood nicknamed "DoWiSeTrePla." It's revealed…
New Harlem East
The neighborhood nickname "New Harlem East" was used in a Wall Street Journal article on April 22, 2011. The name describes the area of East 125th Street in Manhattan that has been newly…
“Income tax has been defined as the fine we pay for reckless thriving”
"Income tax has been defined as the fine we pay for reckless thriving" has been a popular joke since at least 1936. The line was a favorite of Ronald Reagan (1911-2004). 7 January 1936,…
“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer”
Entry in progress -- B.P. [This entry was prepared with assistance from Garson O'Toole, Quote Investigator.] Google BooksMay 1878, Temple Bar: A London Magazine, "Sticks, Stocks an…
“The lottery is a wonderful thing; it lays the taxation only on the willing”
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) wrote in "Thoughts on Lotteries," February 1826: "Money is wanting for a useful undertaking, as a school, &c., for which a direct tax would be…
The Last Word (cocktail)
"The Last Word" is a classic cocktail, said by Ted Saucier's Bottoms Up (1951) to have originated in the 1920s by bartender Frank Fogarty, at the Detroit Athletic Club. The cocktail…
Blamestream Media
"Blamestream media" is a nickname that some have applied to the “mainstream media” (MSM). The term "lamestream media" (cited in print since at least 1999) indicates a lame…
“Prosperity is something created by businessmen for politicians to take credit for”
"Prosperity, apparently, is something that businessmen create so politicians may take credit for it" was written in the Detroit (MI) News in November 1928 (and was widely reprinted in…
TRAP Law or TRAP Bill (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers)
A "TRAP law" or "TRAP bill" (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) is a piece of legislation to limit the activities of abortion clinics. The term "TRAP" has been…
“Texas even claims George Washington was a Texan” (joke)
Parson Weems (1759-1825) wrote in The Life of Washington (1800) the tale that a young George Washington told his father, "I cannot tell a lie, I did it (chopped down a cherry tree) with my…
“If it tastes good, spit it out” (diet advice)
"If it tastes good, spit it out" is old dietary advice, when so-called "health food" and "low-calorie food" frequently had little taste. The saying is of unknown…