Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
In the Jules Verne science fiction adventure novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1872 in English), Captain Nemo is the designer and captain of Nautilus. The name "Nautilus"…
Sprite is a popular brand of lemon-line flavored soft drink. Many people who order Sprite at a McDonald's restaurant find it extra strong, seemingly powerful enough to fry fish. (Sprite can…
Millennials often add "lol" (for "laugh out loud") at the end of a text message, and people have noticed that it's like the word "STOP" in an old-time telegram.…
Many people who attend the New Year's Eve ball drop in New York City's Times Square have to wear a diaper because there is no place to go to the bathroom.. "I can promise I…
"http://" and "https://" start many internet addresses. "HTTP" is Hypertext Transfer Protocol and "HTTPS" is "Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure."…
"I'm at a place in my life where errands are starting to count as going out" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many images. The speaker is an adult who no longer goes out…
People often put a bay leaf in a pot of something that they're cooking. They're often not sure what the bay leaf does, but it feels like magic. Or maybe it doesn't do much of…
"I just want some cheese and quiet" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying is just a cheese lover's joke on the phrase "peace and quiet." "Cheese…
"I just want some cheese and quiet" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying is just a cheese lover's joke on the phrase "peace and quiet." "Cheese…
"I just want some cheese and quiet" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying is just a cheese lover's joke on the phrase "peace and quiet." "Cheese…
"I just want some cheese and quiet" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying is just a cheese lover's joke on the phrase "peace and quiet." "Cheese…
"Eating the rest of the donuts will keep me from eating donuts tomorrow. My logic is flawless" was posted on Bluesky by Marc on January 9, 2025. and on X/Twitter by Julio, Marc's…
A jocular "diet plan" was posted on X/Twitter by MELapalooza 🐈⚽️🎶🍾 on August 10, 2025: "My diet plan is sometimes when im eating chips I drop some on the floor and I…
A doctor's instruction to "lower carbs" means to lower carbohydrate intake. but a joke misunderstands this. "My doctor told me to lower my carbs. So now I eat my chips sitting…
"If you can butter toast you can plaster a wall..." was posted on Facebook by Learn To Plaster on August 21, 2021. "Plasterers must be heavy good at butterin their toast man"…
"If you can butter toast you can plaster a wall..." was posted on Facebook by Learn To Plaster on August 21, 2021. "Plasterers must be heavy good at butterin their toast man"…
"Temp" work means "temporary" work. "Temp" has nothing to do with taking "temperature," but there are jokes. "I thought I'd finally got my dream…
"Temp" work means "temporary" work. "Temp" has nothing to do with taking "temperature," but there are jokes. "I thought I'd finally got my dream…
The Hudson Valley Renegades, a Minor League Baseball team High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, based in Fishkill, New York. In November 2024, the Renegades announced that the team would be…
"Big Apple Bank," in the city of New New York in the year 2999, appeared in "A Fishful of Dollars," an episode of the animated science fiction sitcom Futurama that originally…