Fort Worthless (Fort Worth nickname)
"Fort Worthless" is an unfortunate -- but probably inevitable -- nickname of the city of Fort Worth. The nickname was popularized in the late 1980s, when speaker of the United States…
Alphebetical for "f"
Fortress Balance Sheet
A "fortress balance sheet" of a bank or a company is one that shows sufficient capital to withstand a downturn in business conditions (or "attacks on the fortress"). The term…
Fortune Cookie or Fortune Cake (“Help, I’m prisoner in a Chinese bakery!”)
Fortune cookies (crisp flour cookies with a paper fortune inside) are ubiquitous at Chinese restaurants, both inside and out of Chinatown. Fortune cookies are largely unknown in China, however, and…
Forty Deuce (42nd Street)
"Forty Deuce," or "Deuce" for short, is (or was) West 42nd Street, between Sixth Avenue and Eighth Avenue. The term dates from the seedy 1960s and 1970s, when the block…
Forty Thieves
The name "forty thieves" is taken from the story "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights). One of New York City's…
Forty-Ninth State
Before the United States had 50 states (and before the "51st state" idea for New York City), there were 48 states and the "49th state" idea. This idea has been proposed both for…
Found On Road Dead (Ford backronymic nickname)
The Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903. Ford vehicles have been nicknamed with the backronym (back acronym) "Found On Road Dead" since at least 1980. Other Ford…
Founder’s Disease
"Founder's disease" is not a medical condition, but describes a problem that many new companies experience. A founder might be able to handle most of the responsibilities of a small…
Founder’s Syndrome
"Founder's syndrome" is not a medical condition, but describes a problem that many new companies experience. A founder might be able to handle most of the responsibilities of a small…
Founder’s Trap
"Founder's trap" describes a problem that many new companies experience. A founder might be able to handle most of the responsibilities of a small company, but that founder might be…
Founding Father Handwriting (cursive)
The Founding Fathers of the United States wrote documents in cursive, but most people seldom write in cursive today. Cursive is sometimes called "founding father handwriting."…
Founding Fathers
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Founding Fathers of the United StatesThe Founding Fathers of the United States were the political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 or…
Four B’s of Old West Cooking—Biscuits, Beans, Beef and Bacon
Cowboy food often starts with the letter "b" as in bacon, beans, beef, biscuits and bread. "Three B's" of army life were cited in 1916 -- beef, beans and bacon. "Four…
Four Continents at U.S. Custom House—Who posed for America?
The "Four Continents" group of statues (Africa, America, Asia and Europe) by sculptor Daniel Chester French for the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in lower Manhattan were put in…
Four Corners of Deceit (government, academia, science and media)
Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh defined the "Four Corners of Deceit" on November 24, 2009: "Four Corners of Deceit, Snerdley. They're all corrupt now. Media,…
Four Fingers of Death (four frankfurters in Meals, Ready-to-Eat)
The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) has been disliked by many (most?) American soldiers. A particularly unpopular offering was frankfurters and beans; the four frankfurters were nicknamed the "four…
Four Get (get up, get on, get off, get out)
"Four get" (like the word "forget") is a Texas A&M Aggie term that was used at the "chicken ranch" ("best little whorehouse in Texas") at La Grange that…
Four King Kongs or Four Heavenly Kings (Shanghai dish of dabing, youtiao, doujiang and cifantuan)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Shanghai cuisineFour Heavenly Kings 四大天王 四大天王 sì dà tiān wáng The collective name of these four dishes pays homage to the Four Heavenly…
Four Precious Jewels (Chinese dish of shrimp, scallops, crab meat and beef)
"Four Precious Jewels" is a Chinese-American restaurant dish found on many menus in the section "special health and diet menu." "Four Precious Jewels ... $8.95 Jumbo…
Four Rules of Plumbing (joke)
"Three Rules of Plumbing" or "Three Laws of Plumbing" -- sometimes four -- is a jocular list that has been printed on many images. Authorship is unknown, but the rules/laws have…