“Never say diet”
"Never say die" is a phrase cited in print from at least 1814. "Never say diet" has been the title of several weight-reducing books and articles, including a 1980 book by…
“Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we diet”
"Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die" is an old saying. "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we diet" is an American variant, cited in print from at least 1904.…
“There is a lot more juice in a grapefruit than meets the eye”
Eating a grapefruit with a spoon often results in plenty of unwelcome squirts. The joke that a grapefruit has more juice than "meets the eye" has been a popular one since at least 1931,…
“If you were my husband, I’d poison your coffee” (Nancy Astor to Churchill?)
The following joke is frequently told about Nancy Astor (1879-1964) and Winston Churchill (1874-1965). Astor supposedly said: "if I were your wife, I'd put poison in your coffee!"…
Crabmeat Dewey or Crab Meat Dewey (Crab Meat a la Dewey)
"Crabmeat Dewey or "crab meat Dewey" ("crabmeat a la Dewey" or "crab meat a la Dewey") was a specialty of two gone-but-not forgotten New York City restaurants --…
“Hot diggety dog” (“Hot diggity dog”)
"Hot diggety dog" (or "hot diggity dog" or "hot dickety dog," among other spellings) is a slang extension of "hot dog." Frequently, the "dog" is…
“Coffee (n): break fluid”
"Coffee" has been defined as "break fluid" -- a pun on the terms "coffee break" and "brake fluid." The saying is sold on coffee mugs (of course) and has been…
“A morning without coffee is like sleep”
An advertisement that ran in the 1970s told people that "A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine." What is a morning without coffee? "A morning without coffee is…
Oxford English Dictionary “Big Apple” definition (September 2008)
In September 2008, the Oxford English Dictionary added a full "Big Apple" definition. I contributed to some of this, but did not write the definition. (I wasn't even given a…
“Recipe: A series of step-by-step instructions for preparing ingredients you forgot to buy…’
"Recipe -- A series of step-by-step instructions for preparing ingredients you forgot to buy in utensils you don't own to make a dish the dog won't eat the rest of." This…
“How do you like them apples?”
"How do you like them apples?" (or "How do you like those apples?") means "How do you like that? or "What do you think of that?" The circumstances…
“Forget love—I’d rather fall in chocolate”
"Forget love -- I'd rather fall in chocolate" (or "Forget love -- I want to fall in chocolate") is a popular saying around Valentine's Day. The saying is usually given…
“Dieting is wishful shrinking”
"Wishful thinking" is wanting an event to happen and, perhaps, ignoring painful realities. The term "wishful thinking" is cited in the early 1900s. "Reducing is wishful…
“A diet is the penalty we pay for exceeding the feed limit”
"A diet is the penalty we pay for exceeding the feed limit" (or, "Dieting is the penalty for exceeding the feed limit") is a food pun on the familiar "exceeding the speed…
Duck Soup
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Duck SoupDuck Soup is a 1933 Marx Brothers anarchic comedy film written by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, with additional dialogue by Arthur Sheekman and Nat…
“Easy as pie”
Something that is "easy as pie" is something that is very simple and easy. "Easy as pie" has been cited in print since at least 1879. "Easy as eating pie" -- perhaps…
“Piece of cake”
Entry in progress -- B.P. “Lasagna is one of the easiest meals to make. It’s a pizza cake” and “It’s pretty easy to make a deep dish pizza. It’s like a pizza cake” are related jokes.…
“Takes the cake”
Something "takes the cake" was originally something very good (as if winning a cake as a prize), but now is used mostly in the ironic sense of something very unusual or very bad.…
“A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand”
"A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand" has become a popular phrase, frequently listed along with other pieces of kitchen wisdom. The "cookie" version became popular from…
“In the soup”
"In the soup" means to be in the thick of troubles; the slang phrase achieved nationwide popularity in the fall of the election year of 1888. The phrase was popularized in New York City,…