Fat Tax
A "fat tax" became an issue in the health care debate in 1993 (under U.s. President Bill Clinton) and 2009 (under U.S. President Barack Obama). A "fat tax" can be a tax directly…
Goldie Mac (Goldman Sachs + Freddie Mac)
The Wall Street Journal of July 15, 2009, added another to the financial firm of Goldman Sachs's growing list of nicknames -- "Goldie Mac." This a reminder of Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae…
Capitalist Tool (Forbes magazine slogan)
Forbes magazine has used the slogan "(The) Capitalist Tool" since 1966. The Forbes company once owned a DC-9 plane called "The Capitalist Tool." The Wall Street Journal, a daily…
Capitalist Bible (Wall Street Journal nickname)
Several publications have been called the "capitalist bible." Adam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776) has frequently been called the…
Slump (Apple Slump)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Dictionary of American Regional Englishapple slump n [apple + slump] chiefly NEng, esp sNEng =apple pandowdy.1831 Finn
Half-and-Half (sweet tea + unsweetened iced tea)
"Half-and-half" (or "half-'n'-half") iced tea is half sweet tea and half unsweetened iced tea. The drink is popular in the South, where sweet tea (with lots and lots…
“Goin’ to hell.”/“Get off at Hempstead.” (joke)
An old joke is told about a drunk who got on a train at Houston that was traveling to Austin. The conductor asked for the drunk's ticket, but he had none. "Where do you think you're…
“‘Onced’ and ‘twiced’ are words”
Entry in progress -- B.P. British Expat Discussion Forumdoctor scrumpySep 2nd 2003, 11:55 am Things I've Learned About Virginia (...)Onced and Twiced are words. Southern Maryland Community…
“You’re in Texas—it’s a local call (to God)” (joke)
An old telephone joke is about a person who asks the operator about his long distance charge. The charge is very high. "Why, in Texas, I can call hell for that!" the person says. The…
“Cheese and rice!” or “Cheese and crackers!” or “Cheese and crust!” (“Jesus Christ!”)
Entry in progress -- B.P. WiktionaryInterjectioncheese and rice!1. Euphemism or minced oath for Jesus Christ Urban Dictionarycheese and rice July 20, 2008 Urban Word of the Day This is a less…
Applesauce or Apple Sauce (slang for “nonsense”)
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Historical Dictionary of American Slang)applesauce n.1. Theat. silly, trite comedy.1918 Variety (Apr. 12) (vaudeville sec.) 7: Just to be back slipping on a little…
Banana Oil (slang for “nonsense”)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Milt GrossMilt Gross (March 4, 1895 – November 29, 1953), was an American comic strip and comic book writer, illustrator, and animator. He wrote his comics in…
“Tough tomatoes!”
"Tough tomato" described a tough boxer ("one tough hombre" is now used) by as early as 1922. Jack Conway of Variety had described club fighters (with more heart than physical…
“Second Prize: Two weeks in Philadelphia/ Chicago/ Los Angeles/ Texas” (joke)
The old quiz show joke goes that first prize is one week in Philadelphia and second prize is TWO weeks in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia joke version has been the most popular and appears in print…
Pizza Face (Pizzaface)
A "pizza face" (or "pizza-face," "pizzaface") is a person with face full of pimples. The allusion is to the cheese on the pizza, which bubbles up on the best pizzeria…
“Do you want fries with that shake?”
George Clinton's song and music video, "Do Fries Go with That Shake?" (1986), added a pun to the familiar phrase, "Do you want fries with that?" The "shake" is…
“Do you want fries with that?”
"Do you want (french) fries with that?" is a frequent question that's asked customers at McDonald's drive-thrus -- so frequent that the question has reached iconic status. The…
“Stock to a cook is voice to a singer” (“Chicken to a cook is like a canvas to a painter”)
"A chicken to a cook is like a canvas to a painter" is a modern interpretation of a statement in Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin's The Physiology of Taste (1825). The usual English…
“What does a Jewish American Princess make for dinner?”/“Reservations!”
"King of the one-liners" Henny Youngman (1906-1998) told many jokes about his wife, such as "Take my wife -- please!" In 1981, Youngman said this about his wife's cooking:…
Wall Street of the Southwest or Wall Street of Texas (The Strand in Galveston)
The city of Galveston thrived from after the Civil War (1865) until the great storm that destroyed the city (1900). Galveston's port was the third busiest in the United States. The Strand (or…