Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collects revenue for the United States federal government. The Bureau of Internal Revenue was created after passage of the 16th Amendment in 1913, allowing…
"Take/Taking care of business" is an old term that dates to at least the 1900s. The rock group Bachman-Turner-Overdrive (BTO) popularized the saying with their 1973 hit song,…
The Jarmulowsky Bank Building, at 54 Canal Street in Manhattan, was declared a New York City landmark in 2009. The 12-story building opened in 1912, just after bank founder Sender Jarmulowsky died.…
The "Big Three" entitlement items in the federal budget of the United States are Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Many political observers believe that the "Big Three"…
"Screw up, move up" is a bureaucratic joke, cited in print since at least 1981 (then referring to the U.S. Army). The opposite is supposed to be true, where a person moves up because of…
It's one of the oldest jokes told about American political history: Teacher -- Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?Student -- At the bottom (of the page). The joke has been cited…
Popular food riddles (also word riddles) involve the apple turnover and the banana split. These jokes have been repeated over many years on the children's sections of newspapers and magazines.…
HSBC (Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a global bank with many branches in New York City. Marine Midland Bank was based in Buffalo, New York; HSBC acquired full ownership of Marine…
HSBC (Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a global bank with many branches in New York City. Marine Midland Bank was based in Buffalo, New York; HSBC acquired full ownership of Marine…
HSBC (Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a global bank with many branches in New York City. Marine Midland Bank was based in Buffalo, New York; HSBC acquired full ownership of Marine…
UBS (originally the Union Bank of Switzerland) is one of the world's largest banks and has several branches in Manhattan. Barry Ritholtz's blog, The Big Picture, on August 20, 2009,…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Signing statementA signing statement is a written pronouncement issued by the President of the United States upon the signing of a bill into law. They are…
"Drinking the Kool-Aid" means to follow a leader or a philosophy without critical examination. Kool-Aid is a flavored drink mix that was invented in 1927. "Drinking the…
"Keep your government hands off my Medicare!" was selected by Yale Book of Quotations editor Fred Shapiro to be 2009's top quotation. Medicare is a government-run program. The…
Goldman Sachs is a financial firm that's headquartered at 200 West Street in Manhattan. The unflattering nickname of "Goldman Sucks" (or "Goldman Sux") has been cited in…
"Eat the rich" was a slogan of the counterculture Zippies that became popular at the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida. The slogan promotes a redistribution of…
The website Chow.com published a "Banoconut Cream Pie Recipe" on June 26, 2009 and featured the pie in a 2011 photo gallery of "Comfort Foods We Love." The word…
"Trade what you see, not what you think/believe" has been cited in print since at least 1999 and has been credited to trading educator Joe Ross. The adage means to trade on what the…
Kmart, a retail chain store, was founded in 1899 in Detroit, Michigan. There are five Kmart stores in New York City (two in Manhattan, two in the Bronx and one in Queens). Kmart's nickname of…
Walmart is a chain retail store that was founded by Sam Walton in 1962. Walmart has been nicknamed "Wal-Fart" (also "Wal Fart," "WalFart" and "Walfart")…