“If you can read, you can cook”
"If you can read, you can cook" (or, "You can cook if you can read") implies that cooking is as simple as reading a recipe from a cookbook. "If You Can Read, You Can…
“Bring home the bacon”
"Bring home the bacon" means that a wage earner (such as a husband) supports a family by bringing home money, food (not always "bacon"), etc. Someone who "brings home the…
“Goose is cooked”
To say that "one's goose is cooked" means that a person is in trouble (such as overwhelming debt or other problems) that can't be escaped. The term "gone goose,"…
Snackrifice (snack + sacrifice)
"Snackrifice" (snack + sacrifice) is the sacrifice of a snack (because of dietary or other concerns). The term "snackrifice" was popularized in 2009 in a trademarked ad campaign…
“Drink Coffee: Do stupid things faster and with more energy”
"DRINK COFFEE: Do stupid things faster and with more energy" has been printed on many gift items, such as coffee mugs, refrigerator magnets and T-shirts. The saying has been cited in…
“There are no withholding taxes on the wages of sin”
Mae West (1893-1980) was known for her risqué behavior. "There are no withholding taxes on the wages of sin," West told a television interviewer in 1959. West used the line again in her…
BTFD (Buy The Fucking Dip)
"Buy the dip" means that a trader should buy when there is a "dip" (or decline) in a stock's price. The theory is that, in a highly violatile market, the price will go back…
“Clogs to clogs in three generations”
Entry in progress -- B.P. "Three generations from shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves" is an American version, cited in print since at least 1874. Wiktionary: clogs to clogs in three…
“Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”
Mark Twain (1835-1910) is credited with: "Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself." The oft-repeated line appears in Mark Twain:…
“Fleas can be taught nearly anything that a Congressman can”
Mark Twain (1825-1910) wrote in What Is Man? (1906), a dialogue between a young man and a jaded older man: O. M.: "Well, canary birds can learn all that; dogs and elephants learn all sorts of…
“Texas has a lot of electrical votes” (Yogi Berra?)
Baseball great Yogi Berra gets credit for many errors of the English language -- unfortunately, this includes credit for many that he never said. A book in 1989 reports that Berra (then a coach for…
“Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker”
American poet Ogden Nash (1902-1971) published "Random Reflections" in The New Yorker magazine on August 8, 1930, and this became, perhaps, his most famous poem: "ON…
“Never eat more than you can lift”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Miss PiggyMiss Piggy is a Muppet character who was primarily played by Frank Oz on The Muppet Show. In 2001, Eric Jacobson began performing the role, although…
“Never eat anything bigger than your head”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: B. KlibanBernard "Hap" Kliban (January 1, 1935 – August 12, 1990) was an influential cartoonist born in New York.(...)LegacyAccording to Art…
“Watch the costs and the profits will take care of themselves”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikiquote: Andrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie (25 November 1835 - 11 August 1919) was a Scottish-American businessman, a major philanthropist, and the founder of the Carnegie…
Coattails
"Coattails" are tails on a coat; in political terms, someone who "rides on an elected official's coattails" is someone who gains from another person's gain. For…
“The first generation builds the business, the second makes it a success, and the third wrecks it”
"The first generation builds the business, the second makes it a success, and the third wrecks it" is another version of the old saying: "It is only but three generations from…
“In war you can only be killed once, but in politics many times”
Winston Churchill (1874-1965) said in 1903: ""Politics are almost as exciting as war, and -- quite as dangerous. (...) Well, in war, you can only be killed once. But in politics many…
“Good government is good politics”
"Good government is good politics" was a newspaper headline in 1890 and has been used by many politicians since then. Republican President Herbert Hoover used the line in 1931, Democratic…
“Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes”
Henry J. Kaiser (1882-1967) was an American industrialist who founded the companies Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel and the healthcare organization Kaiser Permanente. The columnist Drew Pearson…