Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
Cowboys Stadium (home of football's Dallas Cowboys) opened in Arlington, Texas, in 2009. Sports journalist and radio personality Randy Galloway called the proposed stadium "Boss Hawg…
Cowboys Stadium (the home of football's Dallas Cowboys) opened in Arlington, Texas, in 2009. As early as 2006, the stadium was called "The New Cowboys Cathedral" and later "the…
The capital city of Austin is located in the Texas Hill Country and has long been noted for its many hills (or mounds). By at least 1841, Austin was called "City of the Hills." The…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Mount BonnellMount Bonnell (pronounced /bəˈnɛl/), also known as Covert Park, is a prominent point alongside Lake Austin in Austin, Texas. It has been a…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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" (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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…