Highly Trained Broadcast Specialist (radio talk show host)
Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh often calls himself a "highly trained broadcast specialist." It's somewhat of a joke -- there is no professional examination needed to…
Archive for 04/2012
Banktatorship (bank + dictatorship)
"Banktatorship" (bank + dictatorship) has been cited in print since at least December 2008, when a poster used the term on the Silver Investor Community Discussion Forums. The term…
“Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad”
"Knowledge consists of knowing that a tomato is a fruit, and wisdom consists of not putting it in a fruit salad" wrote Miles Kington (1941-2008) in the March 28, 2003 The Independent…
“Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity”
"Fighting for peace is like screwing/fucking/fornicating/raping for virginity/chastity/love" has been a popular saying since the Vietnam War era of the late 1960s. The saying is sometimes…
“Get me a crocodile sandwich, and make it snappy” (joke)
"Get me a crocodile/alligator sandwich, and make it snappy" is a popular one-line joke with a pun on the word "snappy" (quick). "A crocodile sandwich, and make it…
“Great abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym”
"Abs are made in the kitchen" is a bodybuilding saying that has been put on posters and other items. The saying implies that great abdominal muscles can be developed through proper diet…
“Firings will continue until morale improves” (personnel policy joke)
"The firings/floggings/beatings will continue until morale improves" is a humorous saying that has been put on many signs and plaques. "Layoffs will continue until morale…
“Wait an hour after eating before going swimming”
"Wait an hour after eating before going swimming" is a popular swimming safety adage. The idea behind the adage is that food should be fully digested before a person starts to swim, and…
“We don’t swim in your toilet, so don’t pee in our pool” (swimming pool adage)
"We/I don't swim in your toilet, so don't pee/piss in our/my pool" is a sign at many pools, both public and private. "I don't swim in your toilet, so please don't…
“Doing God’s work” (investment banking joke)
Lloyd Blankfein, the CEO and Chairman of Goldman Sachs, told the Times of London in a November 2009 interview that he was just a banker "doing God's work." The line was meant as a…
“You can train hard or you can train long, but you can’t do both”
"You can train hard or you can train long, but you can't do both" is a popular exercise adage. The bodybuilder Mike Mentzer (1951-2001) had heavy duty training that, in 1982, was…
Spokes-idiot (spokesman/spokesperson + idiot)
"Spokes-idiot" or "spokesidiot" (spokesman/spokesperson + idiot) is a term used by those who believe that a spokesperson is making nonsensical points. The…
“There is no such thing as a good tax”
'There is no such thing as a good tax" is a popular anti-tax saying; Oklahoma Senator Thomas Gore (1870-1949) said in 1935 that "all taxes are, at best, necessary evils and…
“The Eiffel Tower is the Empire State Building after taxes”
"The Eiffel Tower is the Empire State Building after taxes” was supposedly said by an American during a visit to France in 1950 or 1951. New York's Empire State Building was then the…
Savile Row (bespoke tailoring in NoHo/Nolita/West Village)
Savile Row is a shopping street in central London famous for its traditional men's bespoke tailoring. An April 12, 2012 article on the Business Insider website was titled "A Bespoke…
“I’ve been on a diet for two weeks and all I’ve lost is fourteen days”
New York City-born comedian Joe E. Lewis (1902-1971) told syndicated entertainment columnist Earl Wilson in June 1957 that he had sworn off drinking and heavy eating. "In 14 days," Lewis…
“A diet is when you watch what you eat and wish you could eat what you watch”
Dieters are often told to "watch what you eat." Leonard Lyons' syndicated newspaper column "The Lyons Den" reported in May 1973 that the comic actress Hermione Gingold…
“I’m a light eater; when it gets light, I start eating”
"I'm a light eater; when it gets light, I start eating" is a joke that has been attributed to baseball pitcher Tommy John, baseball coach Tommy Lasorda and football defensive tackle…
Jersey Lightning (cocktail; punch)
"Jersey lightning" is applejack; a "Jersey Lightning Cocktail" is applejack brandy and vermouth. "Jersey lightning" has been cited in print since at least 1843 and the…
“To die for” (an excellent food dish)
"To die for" means something that is so desirable that it is worth the ultimate sacrifice; the saying is usually made in jest. A new car or a foreign vacation or a house might be "to…