Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"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…
"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.…
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…
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.…
"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…
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" 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…
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…
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.…
"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 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…
"Keep Austin Weird" is an unofficial motto of Austin, urging the city to stay true to its hippie, counterculture roots. The old "lightbulb joke" has an Austin version: Q: How…
A Northerner tells a waitress that he wants to order grits. "Hominy, sir?" the waitress asks. "Oh, about four or five," replies the confused customer. "Hominy" sounds…
"When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war" refers to the wars of classical Greece; the saying dates to at least 1677. The Americanized version has had different endings.…
Woody Allen opened his film Annie Hall (1977) with: "There's an old joke - um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, 'Boy, the food at this…
"How did you find your steak, sir?" a waiter asks a customer. The waiter wants to know if the steak had been cooked to the customer's liking (How did you find your steak cooked) --…
Dallas and Fort Worth are cities thirty miles apart. There is a rivalry and, of course, some jokes: Q: What does Dallas have that Fort Worth doesn't have?A: A nice city 30 miles away. This…
"They say there are two sides to everything. But there is only one side to the stock market; and it is not the bull side or the bear side, but the right side" appears in the book…
"Men who can both be right and sit tight are uncommon" was the wisdom of "Old Mr. Partridge" in the book Reminiscences of s Stock Operator (1923) by Edwin Lefevre. The statement…
Are the city of Dallas and the county of Dallas named after two different people named Dallas? President James K. Polk and Vice President George Mifflin Dallas (1792-1864; a former senator from…