Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
An old Wall Street saying has it that when everybody's getting into the market and even the shoeshine boy is giving stock tips (or the barber/hairdresser or the taxi driver or the waiter or…
An old Wall Street saying has it that the markets can handle good and bad times, but that "the stock market abhors uncertainty." The origin of the saying is unknown, but it is cited in…
American financier Bernard Baruch (1870-1965) is usually given credit for the phrase: "The main purpose of the stock market is to make fools of as many men as possible." Contemporary…
A widely cited incident involves when J. P. Morgan (1837-1913) was asked by someone what the market would do that day. "It will fluctuate, young man. It will fluctuate," Morgan reportedly…
"The crowd is always wrong" or "The public is always wrong" is a Wall Street proverb that dates to at least 1915, where it is cited in the writings of Bertie Charles Forbes…
The legendary investor Warren Buffett -- according to many websites -- gave his secret to becoming rich in a closed-door lecture at Columbia University when he was only 21 years old (that would be…
New York City is the most populous city in New York State, but Albany is the capital city. Some New Yorkers (including some from Albany) have called the capital city "Smallbany" or…
New York City is the most populous city in New York State, but Albany is the capital city. Some New Yorkers (including some from Albany) have called the capital city "Smallbany" or…
"I'm from the government and I'm here to help you" (or "We're from the government and we're here to help you") is a line from the mid-1970s, usually grouped…
What is a stock worth? An old Wall Street adage has it that a stock is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. The pricing phrase dates to at least the 1800s. 17 December 1882, Grand Forks…
In a 1963 speech pledging the continued defense of Europe, President John F. Kennedy stated: "As they say on my own Cape Cod, 'A rising tide lifts all the boats.'" Since at…
"If you're so smart, why aren't you rich?" (or, "If you're so smart, why ain't you rich?") is a phrase sometimes heard in New York City, the nation's…
The New York Stock Exchange opens to the sound of a bell and then closes to the sound of a bell. It's often pointed out that no one rings a bell to announce the top or the bottom of a market,…
"Blisters on My Sisters" is an egg dish served at Shopsin's (located in Essex Market, but formerly on Carmine Street). Kenny Shopsin named the dish after a lyric in a song by Frank…
Chilorio is a pork dish (often used as a filling for tacos or burritos) from the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The pork is fried in chile sauce until tender and usually flavored with onions, cumin,…
Investment adviser and author Peter Lynch is credited with the 1990s Wall Street adage "Invest in what you know." The phrase issometimes made to rhyme at the beginning and at the end:…
Some investors stay loyal to a stock long after the stock's performance has slipped. A common bit of investment advice (cited in print from at least the 1950s) is to "never fall in love…
"Buy low and sell high" is a sure way to make money. The exact origin of the saying is unknown, but the concept is simple enough. The "buy low" (or, "buy at a low…
"Buy on the rumor, sell on the news" is a Wall Street proverb that dates at least to the 1950s. A slight variation -- "Buy on the rumor, sell on the fact" -- is cited in print…
"When in doubt, get out" or "When in doubt, stay out" (also "If in doubt, get out" or "If in doubt, stay out") is an old stock market saying that dates at…