Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
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…
"You can't spend your way to prosperity' (or, "You can't borrow your way to prosperity") means that the federal government can't achieve prosperity by…
Dallas Cowboys football team owner Jerry Jones had long planned that his team would move into a new stadium in Arlington in 2009. The massive proposed stadium and entertainment complex was quickly…
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) often handles nationally prominent cases. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York…
"To hell with the Constitution when the people want coal!" was supposedly said by Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), who tried to settle the coal strike of 1902 in any way he could. Early…
Rochdale Village is a 20-building residential cooperative that opened in 1963 and was dubbed "The Jewel of Jamaica" (Queens). The nickname is still used. Wikipedia: Rochdale,…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: AntisemitismAntisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is prejudice against or hostility towards Jews, often rooted in hatred of their ethnic…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Mark HannaMarcus Alonzo Hanna (September 24, 1837 – February 15, 1904), best known as Mark Hanna, was an American industrialist and Republican politician from…
"Come to Jesus" (and the "come to Jesus meeting") was an early 20th century Christian message, often spread by traveling preachers who held tent meetings. A different and later…
"What would Jesus do?" (often abbreviated "WWJD") has been in use since at least the 1820s. By 1880, "What Would Jesus Do" had become an illuminated wall motto. Book…