Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
America has much food and many diets. ""Americans have more food to eat than any other people and more diets to keep them from eating it" is a quip that has appeared in newspapers…
A line in Woody Allen's 1966 Broadway comedy, Don't Drink the Water, has become much-quoted with food writers: "WALTER. I will not eat oysters. They're alive when you eat them.…
"If you hear an onion ring, answer it" (or "If an onion rings, answer it") is a nonsense saying. "IF AN ONION RINGS ANSWER IT" was printed in the St. Louis (MO)…
"Well, a man's got to believe something, and I believe I'll have another drink," is a line in Peter de Vries's book, The Vale of Laughter (1967). The saying is often given…
"Whatever bakes your cake" means "whatever makes you happy" or "whatever's your choice/desire" or "whatever's your flavor" or "whatever turns…
"Whatever butters your biscuit(s)" means "whatever makes you happy" or "whatever's your choice/desire" or "whatever's your flavor" or…
"Whatever tickles your pickle" means "whatever tickles your fancy" or "whatever makes you happy" or "whatever's your choice/desire" or "whatever…
"Whatever trips your trigger" means "whatever makes you happy" or "whatever's your choice/desire" or "whatever turns you on" or "whatever floats…
"Whatever melts your butter" means "whatever makes you happy" or "whatever's your choice/desire" or "whatever's your flavor" or "whatever…
"History repeats itself" is an old proverb. "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme" is often credited to Mark Twain (1835-1910), but there is no evidence that he…
Mark Twain (1835-1910) is often credited with the quotation: "In the beginning a patriot is a scarce man, hated and feared and scorned. But in time when his cause succeeds, the timid join him,…
"Shut up and dance!" or "Shut up and sing!" has been said to many entertainers -- simple advice from a director or the audience to do what the entertainer does best.…
Entry in progress -- B.P. "Overnight is a long time in politics; a week is forever." Wikiquote: Harold WilsonJames Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916…
"Either lead, follow or get out of the way" is a favorite saying of American businessman Ted Turner. The saying is sometimes credited to Thomas Paine (1737-1809), but there is no evidence…
"Hippies Use Side Door" is a sign that has decorated many restaurants in the 2000s, as a piece of joke nostalgia. The Fairview Inn (Talkeetna, Alaska) actually had such a sign in the…
A "grip-and-grin" ("grip-'n'-grin") photo is when a politician shakes hands ("grip") with someone for a staged publicity photo. Politicians frequently…
The St. Petersburg (FL) Times originated in 2007 a website, Politifact.com, to check political facts. Statements are judged on a "Truth-O-Meter" with grades of True, Mostly True, Half…
"Hey, hey! Ho, ho! (Person/thing) has got to go!" has become a standard protest chant. In the early 1950s, it was a sports cheer, with the familiar "got to go" replaced by…
"Eating is an agricultural act" is from Wendell Berry's essay, "The Pleasures of Eating," in his book, What Are People For? (1990). Many people aren't involved…
A microwave oven makes some foods so hot so quickly that the microwaving has jokingly been called "nuking." The verb "nuke" meaning "to cook in a microwave oven" has…