On September 17, 1787, just after the Constitutional Convention's ratification, a Mrs. Powell of Philadelphia reportedly asked Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), "Well, Doctor what have we…
The U.S. Census Bureau (part of the Department of Commerce) published a much-reprinted booklet, Bureau of the Census: Fact Finder for the Nation (1948). Although many other government agencies and…
The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation (formerly the U.S. Reclamation Service) has been in charge of water management (including many dam projects) since 1902. Critics…
A "stemwinder" is a rousing speech. "Stemwinder" has also meant a keyless watch and geared logging locomotive. The "stemwinder" speech has been cited in print since at…
"Feminazi"(feminist + Nazi) desscribes a radical feminist; the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that the term is "usually disparaging." Conservative radio talk show host…
Barry Ritholtz's financial blog, The Big Picture, has been using the term "whackage" (whack + package/wreckage) since at least February 2006. A typical Friday blog headline is…
Foggy Bottom is an area of Washington, D. C., known for its fog and cited in print by that name since at least 1854. In 1947, the U.S. Department of State moved to a building in Foggy Bottom. The…
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), located in Basel, Switzerland, was formed in 1930 to facilitate the transfer of reparations from the World War. The BIS is not accountable to any…
The Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) advises the President, Secretary of State, and numerous government departments. The INL nickname…
"Fudge Factory" is a nickname of the U.S. Department of State. The term was coined by Washington (DC) Post syndicated columnist Joseph Kraft (1924-1986) in 1965-1966. "Fudge…
The Dallas Cowboys football team fan blog "Blogging the Boys" (BTB) sought a new name for the 2011 Cowboys' young and revamped offensive line. A poster named "Shaymer"…
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the successor to World War II's Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The CIA has been nicknamed "The Company" since at least 1972, when that…
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the successor to World War II's Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The CIA has been nicknamed the "Pickle Factory" since at least 1965, when…
"Euro quake" or "euroquake" (euro + earthquake) is a name for dramatic changes in the European financial markets. The word was technically coined by Daniel Burstein's book,…
Rosslyn in Arlington County, Virginia, is on the Potomac River, across from Washington, DC. The nickname "Manhattan on the Potomac" began to be used in 2006 to represent the new…
A "diaper district" is a neighborhood that is filled with many new families (especially those including diaper-age children). The New York (NY) Times coined the name "Diaper…
"Competition is (a) sin" is often credited to John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), the founder of the Standard Oil Company. The saying has been attributed to Rockefeller since at least 1971,…
Financial author Robert Kiyosaki, of the "Rich Dad" website and series of books, wrote in Rich Dad's Retire Young, Retire Rich: How to get rich and stay rich forever! (2002):…
A common joke has it that a Southerner/Redneck/Aggie/Texan utters these famous last words:"Hey y'all, watch this!" (Or, "Hold my beer and watch this!")The implication is…
"Leading from behind" can describe someone who is afraid of the action. In Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera, The Gondoliers (1889), it was said of the Duke of Plaza-Toro: "In…