The March 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska quickly spawned the name "spillionaire" -- a person getting well-paid by Exxon to clean up the spill or getting paid a large settlement as…
The MSNBC network (headquartered in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan) has often been cited for liberal bias. The nickname “MSNBS” (MSNBC + BS) is sometimes used by the political right who…
"Flexian' (sometimes misspelled "flexion") was coined by Janine R. Wedel in her book, Shadow Elite: how the world's new power brokers undermine democracy, government, and…
"A politician is an animal which can sit on a fence and yet keep both ears to the ground" has been credited to writer H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) and comedian Groucho Marx (1890-1977). To…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionaryon the fence: in a position of neutrality or indecision The Free DictionaryIdiom: on the fence Informal Undecided as to which of two sides…
Nobel prize-winning scientist Albert Einstein (1879-1955) told this to an Associated Press reporter in November 1930: "Reduced to a formula," he replied after a moment's reflection,…
The "grapevine" (or "grape-vine") is an often-secret information network. The "grapevine" information was so unreliable that "grapevine" became synonymous…
"Delish" is another way of saying "delicious" and has been cited in print since at least 1920. Television chef Rachael Ray has made "delish" one of her catchwords,…
"Chief cook and bottle washer" (sometimes "bottle-washer" or "battlewasher") is a jocular term for a person who does everything. It often describes a small operation,…
"Din-din" is a child's way of saying "dinner." "Din-din" is cited in print from at least 1861 and appeared first in English (and not American) publications.…
"Some like carrots, others like cabbage" is allegedly a gardening cliché to show that people have different tastes. The supposed proverb is cited in print from only 2006. A Crop of…
The MSNBC network (headquartered in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan) has often been cited for liberal bias. The nickname "PMSNBC" or "PMS-NBC" (PMS + MSNBC) is sometimes used by…
America has much food and many diets. ""Americans have more food to eat than any other people and more diets to keep them from eating it" is a quip that has appeared in newspapers…
A line in Woody Allen's 1966 Broadway comedy, Don't Drink the Water, has become much-quoted with food writers: "WALTER. I will not eat oysters. They're alive when you eat them.…
"If you hear an onion ring, answer it" (or "If an onion rings, answer it") is a nonsense saying. "IF AN ONION RINGS ANSWER IT" was printed in the St. Louis (MO)…
"Well, a man's got to believe something, and I believe I'll have another drink," is a line in Peter de Vries's book, The Vale of Laughter (1967). The saying is often given…
"Whatever bakes your cake" means "whatever makes you happy" or "whatever's your choice/desire" or "whatever's your flavor" or "whatever turns…
"Whatever butters your biscuit(s)" means "whatever makes you happy" or "whatever's your choice/desire" or "whatever's your flavor" or…
"Whatever tickles your pickle" means "whatever tickles your fancy" or "whatever makes you happy" or "whatever's your choice/desire" or "whatever…
"Whatever trips your trigger" means "whatever makes you happy" or "whatever's your choice/desire" or "whatever turns you on" or "whatever floats…