Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"When you raid a whorehouse, take the piano player, too, because no one is entirely innocent" is a Wall Street saying, meaning that when stocks start to strongly fall or to strongly rise,…
"In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield" is a popular bit of one-line wisdom from American investor Warren Buffett. The saying means that the…
"The bears have Thanksgiving, but the bulls have Christmas," or is it "The bulls have Thanksgiving, but the bears have Christmas"? The former appears to have been cited in print…
"You can change a cucumber into a pickle, but you can't turn a pickle back into a cucumber" is a saying used at Alcoholics Anonymous and other organizations. The saying means that…
"IRS: We've got what it takes to take what you've got" is a saying that's appeared on T-shirts and bumper stickers. "A tax collector has what it takes to take what…
"People who complain about taxes can be divided into two classes: men and women" is an old joke showing that everybody complains about taxes. The joke has been cited since at least 1944,…
A popular anti-tax saying (showing how taxes penalize success) is: "A fine is a tax you have to pay for doing wrong. A tax is a fine you have to pay for doing okay." The saying has been…
Arthur Godfrey (1903-1983) made a fortune in hosting radio and television talent show. The October 1951 Reader's Digest quoted Godfrey: "I'm proud to be paying taxes in the United…
A conservative joke shows how a liberal newspaper -- such as the New York (NY) Times or Washington (DC) Post or Austin (TX) American-Statesman -- would headline the ultimate disaster: "World…
A popular economics joke has a physicist, a chemist, and an economist all stranded on a desert island. There is one can of food, but nothing to open it with. The physicist presents his proposed…
What's the difference between a short-term "market correction" and a "bear market" or a "crash"? A joke says that the difference is not how far stocks have…
"An actuary is a someone who wanted to be an accountant, but didn't have the personality for it" is an old joke about the actuarial profession. The reverse is also told: "An…
"The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country..." is a humorous list describing the readers of various newspapers. The New York (NY) Times "is read by people who…
"Saskatchewan is very much like Texas — except it's more friendly to the United States" is often attributed to American politician Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965), who made the remark…
"I'm not a member of any organized political party -- I'm a Democrat" is a famous political quotation attributed to humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935), although Rogers said it a…
Humorist Robert Benchley (1889-1945) used this line in the film The Road to Utopia (1946): "Did you ever stop to think of one of those dog sled teams? The lead dog is the only one that ever…
"When you’re about to get run out of town on a rail, get out in front and call it a parade" is an old saying of how to turn around a bad situation. The saying has been cited in print…
"Bears make the headlines and bulls make the money" was used by financial writer Malcolm Berko in 1990. In 1993, Berko wrote that, in 1963: "I had lunch with Bernard Baruch, and one…
"Elephants don't gallop" is an investment adage that Jim Slater (a former investment columnist for London's Sunday Telegraph) made famous some time before 1993. Slater meant…
The city of Alamo, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, is a popular destination for Winter Texans. Alamo has been nicknamed "Land of Two Summers," cited in print since at least 1978.…