J. P. Morgue (JPMorgan Chase nickname)
"J. P. Morgue" is an unflattering nickname for the banking firm JPMorgan Chase & Co. The bank is partly named after financier John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913). "J. P.…
“The vice presidency is a spare tire on the automobile of government”
John Nance "Cactus Jack" Garner (1868-1967) was vice president of he United States from 1933-1941, but he never thought much of the vice presidency. On June 19, 1934, Garner was quoted as…
“You can’t see the future through a rear view mirror”
Wall Street stock investor Peter Lynch wrote "Peter's Principle #4" in his book Beating the Street (1993): "You can't see the future through a rear view mirror." This…
Ten Bagger (Tenbagger)
"Ten bagger" (or "tenbagger") is a term coined by Wall Street stock investor Peter Lynch for a stock that's worth ten times its original price. In baseball, a…
Pizza Bone
A "pizza bone" is the outer edge of the pizza crust -- usually without any cheese or tomato sauce. The name "pizza bone" has been cited in print since at least 1983. Wiktionary:…
Nothing Burger (Nothingburger)
A "nothing burger" (or "nothingburger") is a person who is a non-entity, or an idea that is without merit, or anything that's a lot of nothing. A "nothing burger"…
“It’s no disgrace to be poor, but it might as well be”
Kin Hubbard (1868-1930) drew the popular "Abe Martin Says" one-panel newspaper comic. Many sayings became widely quoted. "It's no disgrace t' be poor, but it might as well…
“When a fellow says, ‘It ain’t the money but the principle of the thing,’ it’s the money”
Kin Hubbard (1868-1930) drew the popular "Abe Martin Says" one-panel newspaper comic. Many sayings became widely quoted. "When a feller says, 'It hain't th' money, but…
“Now and then an innocent man is sent to the legislature”
Kin Hubbard (1868-1930) drew the popular "Abe Martin Says" one-panel newspaper comic. Many sayings became widely quoted. "Now an' then a innocent man is sent t' th'…
“We’d all like to vote for the best man, but he’s never a candidate”
Kin Hubbard (1868-1930) drew the popular "Abe Martin Says" one-panel newspaper comic. Many sayings became widely quoted. "We'd all like t' vote fer th' best man, but…
“A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell so that you look forward to the trip”
"Diplomat -- one who can tell you to go to hades and make you look forward to the trip" has been cited in print since at least 1953 and is of unknown authorship. Caskie Stinnett…
“A committee is a body that keeps minutes and wastes hours”
"A committee is a body that keeps minutes and wastes hours" is an old joke that plays upon the word "minutes" (a written record and a unit of time). The joke first appeared in…
“A meeting is no substitute for progress”
"A meeting is no substitute for progress" has been cited in print since at least 1968. A company president (this might have once been true or it might have been a joke) used the…
“The word ‘politics’ is derived from ‘poly’ meaning ‘many’ and ‘ticks’ meaning ‘parasites’”
“The word 'politics' is derived from the word 'poly' meaning 'many', and the word 'ticks' meaning 'blood sucking parasites'” is a humorous…
“Capitalism is the legitimate racket of the ruling class”
"Capitalism is the legitimate racket of the ruling class" is credited to Brooklyn-born gangster Al Capone (1899-1947). The quotation has been cited in print since 2002, but there is no…
“The easiest way to make money is to stop losing it”
Entry in progress -- B.P. 8 March 1896, Syracuse (NY) Standard, pg. 7, col. 3:The easiest way to make money is by saving it.(Butler & Johnson -- ed.) 4 September 1896, Daily Kennebec Journal…
“People vote their resentment, not their appreciation”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: William B. MunroWilliam Bennett Munro (1875 – 1957) was a Canadian social scientist and eugenicist. 14 November 1923, Oregonian (Portland, OR), "Outlook…
Jacobs Beach (West 49th Street and Eighth Avenue)
"Jacobs Beach" (or "Jacobs' Beach") was named after Mike Jacobs (1880-1953), New York City's leading boxing promoter from the mid-1930s until he retired in 1946.…
“What Would Julia Do?” (WWJD)
“What Would Jesus Do?” (WWJD) is a saying from the 19th century, repopularized in 1989 with "WWJD" bracelets. A food variant of “WWJD”—“What Would Julia (Child)…
“Nothing is impossible to the man who doesn’t have to do it himself”
"Nothing is impossible to the man who doesn't have to do it himself" was called "The Bureaucrat's Law" in 1979. For a bureaucrat who can foist the work on someone…