Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
American Revolution orator Patrick Henry (1736-1799) is often credited for having said: "The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument…
George Santayana (1863-1952) wrote: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." "Those who forget (cannot remember) the pasta are condemned (doomed) to reheat…
Pizza often has burnt bubbles of cheese that some like and others dislike eating. There's no formal name for them, although "pizza bubble" and "pizza blister" have been…
A "sucker rally" (or "sucker's rally") is a brief rally that is not sustained. It is similar to the "dead cat bounce," where a stock has fallen so far that, like…
In the late 1960s, Wall Street had a consensus that "the most bullish thing" (an event causing stocks to rise) would be for the Vietnam War to end. Various other circumstances would be…
The "Senatorial saucer" conversation between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson is part of U.S. Senate legend. Jefferson had returned from France and was breakfasting with Washington.…
"A liberal is a man (person) who will give away everything he doesn't (they don't) own" has been credited to Frank Dane (in the 1980s and in internet newsgroups since 2000) and…
Frank Richardson Kent (1877-1958) was a longtime political pundit on the Baltimore (MD) Sun, writing a syndicated column titled "The Great Game of Politics." Kent popularized the term…
"A conservative is someone who makes no changes and consults his grandmother when in doubt" is often credited to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), but there is no evidence that…
"A liberal is a man too broad-minded to take his own side in a quarrel" is usually credited to American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963). Frost used the quote in January 1961 (discussing…
"A conservative man is a man who just sits and thinks, mostly sits" is a saying that has been attributed to Woodrow Wilson and that has been printed on many images. Woodrow Wilson…
"The trouble with political jokes is that they get elected to office" is a quote frequently attributed to Henry Cate VII, but he appears simply to be a 1990s contributor to rec.humor. The…
The term "death tax" has been used for "estate tax," "inheritance tax" and "succession tax." The estate of a person who died is taxed. "Death tax"…
The term "statesman" often is regarded as more lofty than the term "politician." A "statesman" thinks of a country's interest while a "politician"…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikiquote: Irving KristolIrving Kristol (born 22 January 1920 - 18 September 2009) was an American columnist, journalist, and writer who was dubbed the "godfather of…
A "dead tree edition" is a paper copy (such as a newspaper, magazine or book), as opposed to an edition that's online and doesn't require paper. "Dead tree edition"…
A "moonbat" is an epthet used against the politically liberal left wing, similar to the words "lunatic" and "batty." Perry de Haviland of the libertarian blog…
"Dead tree edition" (cited since 1995) is the paper copy of a newspaper, magazine or book. Newspapers and magazines have been dubbed the "dead tree media" (or "dead-tree…
"No taxation without representation" was the rallying cry of American revolutionaries. "No taxation without respiration" is the rallying cry of those (mostly Republicans)…
There's a "law of holes" rule when someone (such as a politician) gets into trouble: "When you're in a hole, stop digging." In other words, don't get yourself…