Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
James Harlan Boren was amused by government bureaucracy and fromed the National Association of Pofessional Bureaucrats (NATAPROBU). The organization's coat of arms was a duck snarled in red…
'If it ain't burnt, momma didn't cook it" (or, "If it ain't burnt, momma didn't make it") is a saying that's been on signs since at least 2003. The…
"Saddle your hoss before cussin' the boss" is a Texas-type saying that has appeared on signs since at least 2003. The Saltgrass Steak House restaurants have such a sign in the bar…
American investor Warren Buffett has two investment rules: Rule No. 1. Never lose money.Rule No. 2. Never forget Rule No. 1. Buffett has been cited with these rules since at least August 1985.…
"History repeats itself" is an old proverb. In February 1944, a new slant to the proverb appeared in a Los Angeles (CA) newspaper: "After reading about the cost of the present war…
Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) said in June 1965: ""A taxpayer? That's someone who works for the government who doesn't have to take a civil service exam." The quip has been…
Danny Thomas (of television's Make Room for Daddy, or The Danny Thomas Show, from 1953-1964) is credited for either inventing or popularizing the "spit-take." He would take a drink…
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…
"I will give up my gun when they pry my cold, dead fingers from around it" is a bumper sticker slogan supporting gun rights and dating from at least March 1972. "I'll give up my…
"There are old traders around and there are bold traders around, but there are no old, bold traders around" has been attributed to Bob Dinda, some time in the 1980s. The Wall Street maxim…
"A dollar three-eighty" means a small (or unknown) amount, given in a nonsense language. The term appears in the Texas Crude (1984) slang collection and it has been described (below) as…
New York dialect has historically pronounced "these-them-those" and "dese-dem-dose." A joke (cited in print to at least 1972) usually attributes this comical dialect to someone…
Flushing, Queens, is a Dutch name, corresponding to the city of Vlissingen in the Netherlands. However, a joke compares the Flushing name with the "flushing" of a toilet. "What do…
Austin's "South by Southwest" festival (since 1987) is often referred to by its initials (SXSW). In the 2000s, the festival grew very large, expanding beyond indie bands to include…
"Treasoncrat" could be a form of the words "treason" and "bureaucrat," but usage usually refers to a "Democrat." Users of "treasoncrat" have…
The green "Shamrock Shake" is a specialty of McDonald's restaurants, usually available only around St. Patrick's Day. McDonald's states that the shake was introduced in…
A "shamrock sandwich" is one specialty that is made for St. Patrick's Day. There appears to be no one recipe for the shamrock sandwich; in every decade, the recipes are different.…
A "shamrock cookie" is one specialty that is made for St. Patrick's Day. Shamrock cookies are usually sugar cookies, shaped into a shamrock (clover) and sprinkled with green sanding…
A "leprechaun cookie" is one specialty that is made for St. Patrick's Day. It's a cookie made to look like a leprechaun -- somewhat similar to gingerbread men. The recipes…
Peggy Orenstein wrote "The Femivore's Delemma" for the New York (NY) Times Sunday Magazine of March 14, 2010. A "femivore" is a feminist farmer -- and not someone who eats…