“Thinking isn’t to agree or disagree—that’s voting”
American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) told WQED, as reported in Collier's Illustrated Weekly in 1956: "People have got to think. Thinking isn't to agree or disagree. That's…
Archive for 10/2012
“Life is just a bowl of cherries”
The expression "a bowl of cherries" means something wonderful and delicious. The song "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" (1931) popularized the term. American humorist Erma…
“Get your popcorn ready” (prepare to watch something exciting)
Popcorn began to be popularly served at movie theaters in the 1940s. "Get your popcorn ready" was used in newspaper advertisements for cable television (where cable subscribers could…
“Alcohol doesn’t solve any problems…but then again, neither does milk”
"Alcohol doesn't solve any problems...but then again, neither does milk" is a jocular one-line saying, often included on websites in a group titled "Dilbert One Liners."…
Great Disorder
The term "Great Disorder" has been cited in print since at least 1974 to describe China's Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Mao Zedong (1893-1976) sought to create "the great…
“If you don’t read a newspaper, you’re uninformed; if you do read one, you’re misinformed”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikiquote: Mark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, novelist, writer,…
“Exercise is bunk—if you are healthy, you don’t need it”
The automaker Henry Ford (1863-1947) said "history is more or less bunk" in a 1916 newspaper interview. Ford is also usually credited with saying, "Exercise is bunk. If you are…
“A girl was knocking on my hotel room door all night. Finally, I had to let her out”
New York comedian Henny Youngman (1906-1998), known as the king of the one-line joke, stayed at a lot of hotels. "A girl was knocking on my hotel room door all night. Finally, I had to let her…
“What part of the chicken is the nugget/croquette/popcorn?”
"What part of the chicken is the nugget/croquette/popcorn?" is the standard joke told about some chicken offerings at restaurants. "Chicken croquettes, eh? I say, waiter, what part…
“This is an elegant hotel—room service has an unlisted number”
"This is an elegant hotel -- room service has an unlisted number" is an old joke about hotel service. It was first said about the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in 1956: "The…