“Lose your opinion, not your money” (Wall Street adage)
"Lose your opinion, not your money" (or, "Give up an opinion before you give up your money") means that one shouldn't hold fast to a money-losing point of view. The saying…
Archive for 01/2012
“An investment portfolio is like a bar of soap; the more you touch it, the smaller it gets”
"An investment portfolio is like a bar of soap: The more you touch/handle it, the smaller it gets" is an investment adage. The saying has been cited in print since at least 1995. 7…
Destination Bartender
A "destination restaurant" is a restaurant that people who don't live in the neighborhood go out of their way to dine at. A "destination bartender" is a bartender so good…
Foodisphere
"Foodisphere" (meaning "the food world" or "the food community") has been infrequently cited in print since at least 2004. Chow.com I think the point was to trust your…
“Comedy is a serious business” (theatre adage)
"Comedy is a serious business" has been attributed to the actor David Garrick (1717-1779), but cited in print from only 1894. Garrick allegedly said that tragedy was much easier to play.…
“A Marine on duty has no friends” (Marine Corps proverb)
"A Marine on duty has no friends" is a proverb of the United States Marine Corps, cited in print since at least 1973. The saying means that a Marine has a duty to serve the country, even…
“Break a leg!” (theatrical saying, meaning “good luck”)
It's often considered, in the theater and elsewhere, to be bad luck to wish someone "good luck." Instead, some people say, "Break a leg!" This appears to be from the German…
“Mind your business” (business proverb)
Entry in progress -- B.P. "Mind your business" was called an "Eleventh Commandment" in the early 1800s. Wikipedia: Fugio centOn April 21, 1787, the Continental Congress of the…
“The odds are good that you will be laid up long before you are laid out” (insurance adage)
"The odds are good that you will be laid up long before you are laid out!" has been cited in print since at least June 2010, listed in a frequently reprinted article titled…
“Stick to your knitting” (business adage)
"Stick to your knitting" means that one should concentrate (especially in business) on what one does best. The American saying "stick to your knitting" has been cited in print…
“Where there’s a hit, there’s a writ” (show business adage)
"Where there's a hit, there's a writ" means that when one is successful in show business (for example, with a hit song), a lawsuit for some of the profits is sure to follow. The…
Sons of the Wild Jackass
George Higgins Moses (1869-1944), a senator from New Hampshire, spoke at a Washington dinner of New England manufacturers in November 1929 and described some insurgent Republican senators as…
“If you have a message, call Western Union” (theatre adage)
Playwrights and screenwriters are often cautioned against sending a political message in their dramatic scripts; the public wants entertainment, not a lecture. "Not one of those…
“Acting is reacting” (acting adage)
"Acting is reacting" is an old acting adage. The actor must react to what the other actors say and do, or to the conditions. The saying has been used both on the stage and in movies. The…
Big Tent
Both Republicans and Democrats used to hold many tent meetings; the terms "Republican tent" and "Democratic tent" were used metaphorically to represent the party and its…
Chickenhawk (Chicken Hawk)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Chickenhawk (politics)Chickenhawk (also chicken hawk and chicken-hawk) is a political epithet used in the United States to criticize a politician, bureaucrat,…
Hawk
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: War HawkThe term war hawk, in modern use, describes one who seeks war on a country or region and is used in contrast to the more peaceful dove. Historical War…
Dove
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Oxford English Dictionary)dove, n.Polit. A person who advocates negotiations as a means of terminating or preventing a military conflict, as opposed to one (cf. hawk n.1…
Forever Recession
The term "forever recession" was coined by Seth Godin on his blog on September 21, 2010, "The forever recession," and on September 29, 2011, "The forever recession (and the…
“If you’re going to tell people the truth, be funny or they’ll kill you” (theatre adage)
Playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) is credited with saying, "If you are going to tell people the truth, you'd better make them laugh. Otherwise, they'll kill you." Shaw…