“Hill of beans” (idiom)
"Hill of beans" (or "not worth a hill of beans") means a worthless thing or endeavor; a "bean" isn't worth much, so a "hill of beans" isn't worth…
“Go the whole hog”
"To go the whole hog" (that is, to go all the way) is an Americanism that dates back to January 1828. Supporters of presidential candidate Andrew Jackson were called "whole hog"…
Chevon (goat meat)
"Chevon" is a modern word meaning "goat meat," taken from the French word for goat (chèvre ). The new term (pronounced like shav'on) won a 1922 contest by the Sheep and…
Cary Grant (cocktail)
The Cary Grant cocktail was named after the actor Cary Grant (1904-1986). Grant drank many cocktails on film, but it's not known if he ever had the cocktail named after him. (Grant's…
Shirley Temple (non-alcoholic cocktail)
The Shirley Temple cocktail is a non-alcoholic cocktail (or "mocktail") named after film's 1930s child star Shirley Temple (1928-2014). According the the most frequent story, a…
Yum (Yum-Yum; Yummy; Yumptious; Yum-O)
"Yum" is used to express satisfaction, especially in regard to food that one has tasted. The food can be described as "yum-yum," "yummy," and even "yum-o."…
“Everything but the squeal”
"Everything but the squeal" is a term used at hog packing houses to indicate that almost nothing of the animal goes to waste. The term dates from about the 1860s and is still used. A…
Micro-recipe
There are at least two meanings for "micro-recipe." A "micro-recipe" can be a recipe to be cooked in a microwave oven. This use of "micro-recipe" dates to at least…
Twecipe (Twitter recipe)
"Twecipe" is a recipe on Twitter (a social micro-blogging service). Recipes are given in posts of up to 140 characters. A user of the "Twecipe" service can type in several…
BILF (bacon or burger variant of MILF)
BILF is a bacon or burger variation of the sexual slang term MILF. The "BILF" bacon version was put on T-shirts by January 2008. In March 2009, Top Chef judge Padma Lakshmi made a…
Purple Cow (grape soda float)
"Purple cow" was an 1895 poetic creation of Gelett Burgess (1866-1951). In 1930, "purple cow" became a popular drink of grape juice with ice cream. The modern "purple…
Red Ink (cheap red wine)
"Red ink" has been a nickname for "cheap red wine" since at least 1863. The nickname was frequently used in Italian restaurants in America, which were called "red ink…
“Comparing apples and oranges”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Apples and oranges"Apples and oranges" refers to the idiom "comparing apples and oranges" or "apples to oranges", which is used to…
“No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut”
"No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut" is credited to American playwright Channing Pollock (1880-1946). His name is associated with the…
“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" is misattributed to Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). Franklin did write this, in a 1779 letter to André Morellet: "Behold…
“A man takes a drink…then the drink takes the man”
"First the man takes a drink. Then the drink takes a drink. Then the drink takes the man." This Japanese proverb warned of the dangers of drinking too muck sake (rice wine). In 1886, the…
“Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?”
"Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" (or, "Why buy a cow when the milk's so cheap?") means that you needn't buy something when it's being offered…
“Champagne to our real friends, and real pain to our sham friends”
"Champagne" was spelled "sham pain" by the 1700s. By at least 1809, a popular toast in America was: "Champagne to our real friends, and real pain to our sham friends."…
“I love cooking with wine—sometimes I even put it in the food”
"I love cooking with wine -- sometimes I even put it in the food." This popular quote has been attributed to French chef Julia Child (1912-2004) and to the film comedian (and lover of the…
BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast)
The "BRAT diet" is and acronym for a diet of Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast. The BRAT diet -- cited in print from at least 1975 -- was intended for infants and people with…