Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
Many Texans and Oklahomans arrived in Alaska from 1974-1977 to work on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. A popular bumper sticker in Alaska (cited from at least 1976) was: ""Happiness is a Texan…
FCINO (Fiscal Conservative In Name Only) is a spinoff term from the earlier RINO (Republican In Name Only). “RINO” is cited in print from 1992; "FCINO" was cited once in print in…
"Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?" is a joke that was popularized by baseball relief pitcher Larry Andersen in 1988. The joke centers on the name "sour cream," but…
"If you ate pasta and antipasta, would you still be hungry?" is a humorous saying, dating to at least February 1998. Other spellings are "If you ate pasta and antipasto, would you…
Conservative political writer Michelle Malkin wrote about the term "creep-ocrat" on her blog and her Twitter account on March 9, 2010. A "creep-o-crat" (or…
Entry in progress -- B.P. 1 January 1980, New York (NY) Times, "House Hunters Turning to Shrinking Rental Market" by Howell Raines, pg. 12: Profit and loss aside, the number of renters…
"Money talks” (meaning that money has influence) is an old financial saying, cited in print in various forms from before 1700. "Money talks" was printed in several American…
A January 2005 blog post credited Jim Hightower with this phrase: "[W]e are upper-crust, elite intellectual snobs who couldn’t sell watermelons if we had the Highway Patrol blocking traffic…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wiktionaryconventional wisdom (plural conventional wisdoms)A belief or set of beliefs that is widely accepted, especially one which may be questionable on close…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: George WashingtonGeorge Washington (February 22, 1732 [O.S. February 11, 1731]– December 14, 1799) served as the first President of the United States from…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Google BooksThe Yale Book of QuotationsEdited by Fred R. ShapiroNew Haven, CT: Yale University Press2006Pg. 369:Bob Hope (Leslie Townes Hope)English-born U.S. comedian,…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Bartleby.comRespectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989NUMBER: 1588 AUTHOR: Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) QUOTATION: Will one of you gentlemen tell me in what…
"To become disillusioned you must earlier have been illusioned," wrote Paul Fussell in 1982. Fussell was referring to childhood and growing up. Voters often become disillusioned with a…
A minority party is sometimes called a "party of 'no,'" saying "no" to the majority party's agenda. When members of the majority party also disagree with some of…
Entry in progress -- B.P. A modern jocular variant is "Throw the Rascals In!" Wikipedia: List of U.S. presidential campaign slogansTurn the Rascals Out - 1872 anti-Grant slogan against…
"Ticker tape ain't spaghetti," said Fiorello La Guardia (1882-1947), the director general of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, in March 1946. La Guardia…
"Repuke" (used both with and without capitalization) is a derogatory nickname for the Republican party, used by speakers who think the party makes them throw up (puke). "Repuke"…
The "coffee party" is the political left's answer to the anti-big government "tea party" (TEA=Taxed Enough Already) that was popularized in 2009. The coffee parties began…
"Well, butter my buns and call me a biscuit" (or, "Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit") is a mock Southern expression for surprise. There are many jocular expressions…
The food phrase "you are what you eat" is taken from a phrase by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826): "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." Many…