There's an old banking proverb: "If you owe the bank thousands (a small amount), then you have a problem. If you owe the bank millions (a large amount), then the bank has a problem."…
"To domino" means "to give birth," cited in Texas from the 1960s. The expression comes from the game of dominoes, where "to domino" is to end the game. It's not…
"If I tell you a hen dips snuff, you can look under its wing (and you'll find a whole can)" is an expression that means the speaker is telling the truth, and it can be checked out.…
"A lick and a promise" refers to a cursory washing or cleaning ("lick"), with a "promise" to do a more thorough job later. The phrase "a lick and a promise"…
"Money, marbles and chalk" (or "money, marbles or chalk") means "going for everything." Similar phrases might be "all the marbles" and "the whole kit…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Gimlet (cocktail) The gimlet is a cocktail typically made of gin or vodka and lime juice. A 1928 description of the drink was: "gin, a spot of lime, and…
"Actions have consequences" is an ancient truism, very obvious and not attributed to any particular speaker. "Ideas have consequences" is the title of a 1948 book by philosopher…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Vienna BeefVienna® Sport PeppersReal Chicago Style Dogs Always Pack A Little Heat.Emil Reichel and Sam Ladany knew what they were doing when they made sport peppers one…
New York City is sometimes called "Capital of the World" because it's home to the United Nations. This unofficial title is seldom written as "the world's capital" or…
"Spend money like drunken sailors" (or "spend money like a drunken sailor") means to have few fiscal constraints, or to spend money freely. In the 1700s and 1800s, sailors were…
"That's the way the cookie crumbles" (also "that's how the cookie crumbles") means that even a good thing (a cookie) sometimes breaks apart. A similar expression…
"It's so hot," runs the expression, "that you can fry an egg on the sidewalk!" New York City has plenty of sidewalks. Is it ever possible to fry an egg on one? A…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Birch beerBirch beer is a carbonated soft drink made from herbal extracts, usually from birch bark. It has a taste similar to root beer, with a slightly minty…
Entry in progress -- B.P. A "grandpa pizza"/"grandpa slice" is sometimes sold, but there are no standard ingredients for this. Wikipedia: PizzaNew York-style pizza is a style…
The Lady Baltimore cake was popularized by the Owen Wister (1860-1938) novel Lady Baltimore (1906). Wister's novel took place in fictional Kingsport, a substitute name for Charleston, South…
Marble cake (cake with light and dark swirls) has unknown origins. It's first cited in print in an Illinois newspaper of 1859; in 1863, it was mentioned at the Illlinois State Fair, by a woman…
A "half-and-half" pizza (also sometimes called a "split" pie) is a pizza with different toppings on each half. For example, one half could have a pepperoni topping and the other…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Sicilian pizzaSicilian pizza, also known as Sfincione (or Sfinciuni in Sicilian language) is a variety of pizza with ingredients sometimes incorporated into the…
The "busboy" (also "bus-boy" and "bus boy") does many tasks at a restaurant, such as cleaning dirty dishes off the table, setting the table, filling diners' water…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Root beerRoot beer, also known as sarsaparilla, is a carbonated beverage (or possibly a type of beer) originally created from sassafras. Root beer, popularized…