Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews frequently uses this quote that Matthews attributes to H. L. Mencken (1880-1956): “Never argue with a man whose job depends on not being convinced." The…
A "macession" (man + recession) or a "hecession" (he + recession) is a business recession that affects more men than women. Economist Mark J. Perry, who runs a blog called Carpe…
The"'Double Irish" is a method by which a U.S. parent company creates two Irish subsidiary companies. One Irish subsidiary is managed and controlled from Bermuda (or another low-tax…
NPR (formerly National Public Radio) is funded, in part, with taxpayer dollars. Conservative groups have often cited that NPR has a pro-liberal bias. Some critics have nicknamed NPR "National…
"Dutch sandwich" is a financial term about reducing U.S. tax obligations. For example, a Dutch corporation is formed and an investment is made in a Netherlands bank; an Antilles trust…
Ian Fleming's James Bond novel, Goldfinger (1959), contains a line that has been used in government, business, science and other fields: Goldfinger said,"'Mr Bond, they have a saying…
NPR (formerly National Public Radio) is funded, in part, with taxpayer dollars. Conservative groups have often cited that NPR has a pro-liberal bias, and Jewish groups have claimed that NPR has a…
A "bread-and-butter issue" is a central economic issue, such as the price of food (bread and other foods) or the price of gas. The early 19th century featured the "bread-and-butter…
"Teanami" (tea party + tsunami election) is a name used in September-October 2010 for a predicted tea party victory in the November 2010 midterm elections. "Teanami" has been…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Google News Archive2 February 1984, The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA), "Banquet attracts 900 stars" by John Blanchette, pg. 21, col. 4:On any player who spikes…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Dollar DiplomacyDollar Diplomacy is the term used to describe the effort of the United States — particularly under President William Howard Taft — to…
The United States' federal debt limit was $2 trillion in the early 1980s. One Congressman joked in 1985: "What comes after a trillion?" A quadrillion is one thousand trillion. In…
"The girl who can't dance says the band can't play" is an often-cited Yiddish proverb that, in English, dates to at least 1949. The proverb has been used in government and…
The Texas fast food restaurant chains of Taco Bueno and Taco Casa both serve a "chilada." The name might be derived from "chili" and either "enchilada" or…
Entry in progress -- B.P. The Center for Public IntegrityStimulating Hypocrisy: Scores of Recovery Act Opponents Sought Money Out of Public View By John Solomon and Aaron Mehta | October 17, 2010…
A "pocketbook issue" (like a "bread-and-butter issue") is an issue that concerns voters because it directly affects their wealth. The term "pocketbook issue" is cited…
People will "vote their pocketbooks" (that is, they will vote in their financial best interests) have isolated citations in the 1910s, but became popular after the New Deal legislation of…
"If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own" is a catchphrase of Wes "Scoop" Nisker, a San Francisco (CA) broadcaster. Nisker has used the phrase since…
Heterosexual affairs by politicians have historically been tolerated, but homosexuals affairs have not. "Never get caught in bed with a dead woman or a live man" (or, "Never get…
"Low taxes are the result of low spending" was the slogan of Meldrim Thomson Jr. (1912-2001), a Republican governor of New Hampshire from 1973-1979. In 1978, the New York (NY) Times…