“(I will gladly pay you Tuesday for) A hamburger today”
"I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" was spoken by the comic character J. Wellington Wimpy in E. C. Segar's 1930s comic strip "Thimble Theatre," featuring…
“No man is lonely while eating spaghetti, for it requires so much attention”
"No man is lonely while eating spaghetti, for it requires so much attention" is a quip from author Christopher Morley (1890-1957). The quotation is often attributed -- incorrectly -- to…
“Cooking Rule: If at first you don’t succeed, order pizza”
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" is a popular American poem verse from the 1830s. The verse has many joke endings that replace "try, try again." Cooking…
Plain Vanilla (simple financial tools and methods)
Vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream, so lots of people must like it. "Plain vanilla," however, is something that is basic, standard, and perhaps also drab and dull. As late as…
“Money is to New York City as power is to Washington, D.C.”
"As money is to New York City, the old analogy goes, so power is to Washington, DC." wrote Timothy Carney in the March 14, 2009 New York (NY) Post. It is not clear who originated this…
Vanilla (plain or ordinary)
Vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream, so lots of people must like it. "Plain vanilla," however, is something that is basic, standard, and perhaps also drab and dull. As late as…
“Sell when Business Week says buy” (Business Week cover curse/cover jinx)
"Sell when Business Week says buy" is a reflection of the so-called "Business Week cover curse" (or "Business Week cover jinx"). A magazine's reporting usually…
Pay-What-You-Want (Pay-As-You-Wish)
The economic slump of 2007-2009 resulted in some restaurants not charging any set fees, but having customers on a "pay-what-you-want" basis. The concept is not new -- Clifton's…
“I love coffee, I love tea” (“Java Jive”)
"I love coffee, I love tea" (also "I like coffee, I like tea") is best known today as the first line of the song "Java Jive" (1940, with words by Milton Drake, music…
“Sugar is sweet and so are you” (“Roses are red…”)
"Roses red, and violets blew" comes from Edmund Spenser's epic poem, The Faerie Queene (1590). In the 1800s, the line "roses are red, violets are blue" was used at the…
“You can’t eat just one” (“Betcha can’t eat just one”)
"Betcha can't eat just one" was the 1963 advertising campaign slogan (by Young & Rubicam) for Lay's Potato Chips. Television advertising featured New York City-born actor…
Big Apple (drinks using applejack)
After 1937's "Big Apple" dance craze, several "Big Apple" drinks were made -- usually with applejack. Most of these drinks were never popular or have faded into obscurity.…
Bubbemycin or Bubbe-mycin (Jewish chicken soup)
Chicken soup, according to some Jewish grandmothers, can cure what ails you. The nickname "Jewish penicillin" has been used for chicken soup since the 1960s. Chicken soup is also called…
19th Hole (Nineteenth Hole)
A golf course usually has eighteen holes. THe "nineteenth hole" ("19th hole") is a jocular nickname for the clubhouse bar or restaurant, or a bar or a restaurant near the golf…
“Eat here and get gas” (“food and gas”)
Many rural roadside establishments combine a restaurant with a gasoline filling station ("food and gas" or "food and fuel"). The classic sign for such a place is: "Eat Here…
Popcorn at the movies
Eating popcorn at a movie theater is a popular tradition now, but popcorn wasn't always served at the movies. Samuel M. Rubin ("Sam the Popcorn Man," who died in 2004 at age 85) is…
“Mm” or “Mmm” or “Mmmm” (“Mm! Mm! Good!” & “MMMM…TOASTY”)
"Mm!" is an expression of culinary delight. Campbell's soups have been advertised as "M'm! M'm! Good!" since 1973. Quiznos sandwiches have been…
Great Depression
"Great Depression" is the name for the economically depressed period in the United States beginning with the October 1929 stock market crash and lasting throughout the 1930s. The term…
Great Recession
"Great Recession" is a variant of the 1930s name "Great Depression." Many writers have called economic dips a "Great Recession," starting about 1974 and continuing in…
“To Insure Promptness” (“tip” false etymology)
"Tip" (and "tips") is often said (incorrectly) to be an acronym of: . To Insure Promptness.. To Insure Performance.. To Improve Performance.. To Insure Prompt Service.. To…