Candy Bar (Chocolate Bar)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Candy barA chocolate bar is a confection in bar form comprising some or all of the following components: cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, milk. The relative…
Archive for 07/2009
How Staten Island got its name (“Is that an island?” joke)
Staten Island was named in honor of the States General in the Netherlands, but an alternative joke etymology spread in the 1930s and 1940s and is still told. The Dutch explorers came into New York…
“Shoot O’Malley twice” (Brooklyn Dodger joke)
Brooklyn Dodger fans never forgave owner Walter O'Malley for moving the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. A joke was told: Q: If you were in a room with Hitler, Stalin and…
“Get It First, But First Get It Right” (International News Service)
"Get It First, But First Get It Right" was the slogan of the International New Service (INS), founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909. The slogan is cited in print…
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts”
"Every man has a right to his own opinion, but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts" is credited to American financier Bernard M. Baruch (1870-1965), who said it in 1946. James R.…
Boilermaker
Entry in progress -- B.P. Boilermaker (beer cocktail)A boilermaker is a beer cocktail consisting of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey, tequila, or vodka. The beer is served either as a chaser…
“Walk and chew gum at the same time” (stupid or uncoordinated)
Someone who is uncoordinated (or just stupid) might be described as a person who "can't walk and chew gum at the same time." The term is recorded in a Texas newspaper in 1954.…
“I’m starvin’ like Marvin” (Starvin’ Marvin)
"Starvin' Marvin" is a name that rhymes, like "Stormin' Norman." "Starvin' Marvin" was used in an ad in the Hartford (CT) Courant on May 1, 1952. A…
Rickey (Gin Rickey; Lime Rickey)
The "rickey" drink is named after Colonel Joe Rickey of Missouri (who died in New York City in 1903). The drink was first mixed by George Williamson at Shoomaker's in Washington,…
“Like Grant took Richmond”
"Like Grant took Richmond" refers to the Union forces taking Richmond, Virginia, ending the Civil War. Ulysses S. Grant was the general-in-chief of the Union Army; General Godfrey Weitzel…
Dogcatcher Elections (“Couldn’t get elected dog catcher”)
Stray dogs were a big problem in the 19th century. A city would elect a "dog catcher" (or "dogcatcher"), who would round up these dogs in a "dog wagon." (A lunch cart…
“Nothing strikes fear in a Texan like a Yankee with a U-Haul”
The saying "Nothing strikes fear in a Texans like a Yankee with a U-Haul" (that is, a Northerner who moves to the South) is cited in print from 1984-85, but probably dates to the 1970s.…
“So would hell” (rancher on being told Texas would be a great place if it had water)
"This would be a fine country if it only had water," a newcomer to Texas is alleged to have said. An old Texan giving up and heading back east replied, "So would hell!" This…
“The only thing wrong with Austin is that it’s surrounded by Texas”
The Texas capital city of Austin is more liberal than the rest of the state. "The only thing wrong with Austin is that it's surrounded by Texas" is a saying that has been frequently…
“How many Austinites does it take to change a light bulb?” (joke)
"Keep Austin Weird" is an unofficial motto of Austin, urging the city to stay true to its hippie, counterculture roots. The old "lightbulb joke" has an Austin version: Q: How…
“Hominy, sir?”/“Oh, about four or five.” (Northerner ordering grits)
A Northerner tells a waitress that he wants to order grits. "Hominy, sir?" the waitress asks. "Oh, about four or five," replies the confused customer. "Hominy" sounds…
“When Greek meets Greek, they open a restaurant”
"When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war" refers to the wars of classical Greece; the saying dates to at least 1677. The Americanized version has had different endings.…
“The food is terrible—and such small portions!”
Woody Allen opened his film Annie Hall (1977) with: "There's an old joke - um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, 'Boy, the food at this…
“How did you find your steak?” (joke)
"How did you find your steak, sir?" a waiter asks a customer. The waiter wants to know if the steak had been cooked to the customer's liking (How did you find your steak cooked) --…
Q: What does Dallas have that Fort Worth doesn’t? A: A nice city 30 miles away.
Dallas and Fort Worth are cities thirty miles apart. There is a rivalry and, of course, some jokes: Q: What does Dallas have that Fort Worth doesn't have?A: A nice city 30 miles away. This…