“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…
Wall Street of the Southwest (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…
Smithsonian of Texas (Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum)
The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas, was called "the Smithsonian of Texas" by its director, Guy C. Vanderpool, in the November 2007 Texas Highways. The PPHM is the…
Candy Bar (Chocolate Bar)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Candy barA chocolate bar is a confection in bar form comprising some or all of the following components: cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, milk. The relative…
How Staten Island got its name (“Is that an island?” joke)
Staten Island was named in honor of the States General in the Netherlands, but an alternative joke etymology spread in the 1930s and 1940s and is still told. The Dutch explorers came into New York…
“Shoot O’Malley twice” (Brooklyn Dodger joke)
Brooklyn Dodger fans never forgave owner Walter O'Malley for moving the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. A joke was told: Q: If you were in a room with Hitler, Stalin and…
“Get It First, But First Get It Right” (International News Service)
"Get It First, But First Get It Right" was the slogan of the International New Service (INS), founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909. The slogan is cited in print…
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts”
"Every man has a right to his own opinion, but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts" is credited to American financier Bernard M. Baruch (1870-1965), who said it in 1946. James R.…
Boilermaker
Entry in progress -- B.P. Boilermaker (beer cocktail)A boilermaker is a beer cocktail consisting of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey, tequila, or vodka. The beer is served either as a chaser…
“Walk and chew gum at the same time” (stupid or uncoordinated)
Someone who is uncoordinated (or just stupid) might be described as a person who "can't walk and chew gum at the same time." The term is recorded in a Texas newspaper in 1954.…
“I’m starvin’ like Marvin” (Starvin’ Marvin)
"Starvin' Marvin" is a name that rhymes, like "Stormin' Norman." "Starvin' Marvin" was used in an ad in the Hartford (CT) Courant on May 1, 1952. A…
Rickey (Gin Rickey; Lime Rickey)
The "rickey" drink is named after Colonel Joe Rickey of Missouri (who died in New York City in 1903). The drink was first mixed by George Williamson at Shoomaker's in Washington,…
“Like Grant took Richmond”
"Like Grant took Richmond" refers to the Union forces taking Richmond, Virginia, ending the Civil War. Ulysses S. Grant was the general-in-chief of the Union Army; General Godfrey Weitzel…
Dogcatcher Elections (“Couldn’t get elected dog catcher”)
Stray dogs were a big problem in the 19th century. A city would elect a "dog catcher" (or "dogcatcher"), who would round up these dogs in a "dog wagon." (A lunch cart…
“Nothing strikes fear in a Texan like a Yankee with a U-Haul”
The saying "Nothing strikes fear in a Texans like a Yankee with a U-Haul" (that is, a Northerner who moves to the South) is cited in print from 1984-85, but probably dates to the 1970s.…
“So would hell” (rancher on being told Texas would be a great place if it had water)
"This would be a fine country if it only had water," a newcomer to Texas is alleged to have said. An old Texan giving up and heading back east replied, "So would hell!" This…
“The only thing wrong with Austin is that it’s surrounded by Texas”
The Texas capital city of Austin is more liberal than the rest of the state. "The only thing wrong with Austin is that it's surrounded by Texas" is a saying that has been frequently…