Snollygoster
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wiktionary: snollygosterEtymology19th century American English. Possibly from snallygaster, a mythical beast that preys on poultry and children, possibly from Pennsylvania…
Archive for 01/2012
Blue Smoke and Mirrors
Entry in progress -- B.P. Bartleby.comRespectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989. NUMBER: 1415 AUTHOR: Jimmy Breslin (1929– ) QUOTATION: All political power is primarily an…
BOMFOG (Brotherhood Of Man, Fatherhood Of God)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 3 July 1939, New York (NY) Times, "Bishop O'Hara Is Peaker on Eve of Opening of Institute of Public Affairs" by Winifred Mallon, pg. 7:CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.,…
Enron Field Curse (stadium name curse)
"The Enron Field Curse" was named by The Business Insider on January 18, 2012. When a company puts its name on a stadium, the theory has it, the company's business fortunes take a…
“It’s immoral to let a sucker keep his money” (poker adage)
"It's immoral to let a sucker keep his money" (or, "It's morally wrong to let a sucker keep his money") has been attributed to "Canada Bill" Jones (?-1880)…
Peacenik
A "peacenik" is someone who opposes war. The term "peacenik" has one citation in 1958, but was popularized in 1962 and throughout the 1960s. Wiktionary: peacenikEtymologypeace…
“Study long, study wrong” (dominoes adage)
"Study long, study wrong" has been used in many sports and games, such as dominoes, cards, checkers, golf, billiards and horse racing. "If you study long, you study wrong" has…
“A difference of opinion is what makes horse racing and missionaries”
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), using the pen name Mark Twain, wrote in the book The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894): "It were not best that we should all think alike; it is…
“An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less”
"An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less" (also, "A specialist is one who knows more and more about less and less") is a saying that became popular in 1926.…
“Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened”
Nicholas Murray Butler (1862-1947), the president of Columbia University who Butler Library is named after, spoke before the University of California on March 23, 1931: "The vast population of…
“China makes and the world takes” (business saying)
"The World Takes -- Trenton Makes" was selected as the winning city slogan in June 1910 by the Trenton (NJ) Chamber of Commerce, which awarded its prize of $25 to S. Roy Heath. The slogan…
“It’s better to be judged by twelve than to be carried by six” (police saying)
"It's better to be judged by twelve than to be carried by six" is a police and military saying, meaning that it's better to be alive and to be judged by twelve people on…
“If you want to be a hero, join the fire department” (police saying)
"If you want to be a hero, join the fire department" is a New York police saying, popularized in 2004 in an ABC News documentary on the New York Police Department. The saying means that…
Politiho (Politico + ho/whore)
A "politico" (cited in English print since at least the 1600s) is a politician, or someone who works for a politician or holds strong political views. Politico.com (founded in 2007) is a…
Draftnik
The words "draftnik" and "peacenik" were used in 1965 for those opposed to the Vietnam War and the military draft. In sports, a "draftnik" is one who follows a…
Dump Cake
A "dump cake" is a cake where the ingredients are "dumped" into a mixing bowl. The name "dump cake" has been cited in print since at least January 1912. There are many…
False Education Appearing Real (“fear” backronym)
The word "fear" is not an acronym, but it has been given the backronym of "false education appearing real." The saying "false evidence appearing real" has been cited…
Laboring Under Correct Knowledge (“luck” backronym)
The word "luck" is not an acronym, but it has been given the backronym of "labo(u)r(ing) under correct knowledge." The saying "laboring under correct knowledge" has…
White Trash Cake (White Trash Wedding Cake)
A "White Trash Wedding Cake" (or "White Trash Cake") is another name for a dump cake. The blog Culinarily Obsessed, on May 21, 2006, explained "I've renamed it…
“When you allow people to choose between the corrupt and the stupid, they will go for the corrupt”
"When you allow people to choose between the corrupt and the stupid, they will go for the corrupt" was said by Arthur J. Finkelstein, the New York-born political consultant, about the…