The "American Dream" is when people work hard and can afford to buy a house and raise a family in the United States; a respectable standard of living is assumed. Comedian George Carlin…
The term "micro-loft" was trademarked by Rosslyn Lofts (Los Angeles, CA), with a first use in commerce on August 11, 2006. The term "microloft" -- synthetic fibers -- had been…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Death panel"Death panel" is a political term that originated during a 2009 debate about federal health care legislation to cover the uninsured in the…
The University of Texas at Austin Longhorns have been so successful in baseball that the school has been nicknamed "The University of Texas at Omaha," after the College World Series of…
A "balance sheet recession" is the slowing of business activity after the bursting of an asset bubble (or bubbles). Economist A. Gary Shilling said in December 1990, "This is a…
"Impeachmint" (also "impeach-mint" or "impeach mint") is a political flavor pun on the word "impeachment." The term was popularized by at least 1973, with…
"You see, whenever thunder roars, most everybody runs indoors" was cited in print in 1933 and has been long-known advice, on Tornado Alley and elsewhere. The U.S. National Weather Service…
Oregon has a "Silicon Forest" of high-tech companies located near Portland, between Beaverton and Hillsboro. Lattice Semiconductor Corporation trademarked "Silicon Forest" with…
"If you must burn our flag, please wrap yourself in it first" is a saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as bumper stickers and posters. The saying was a response to the…
"God made police/cops so firefighters would have heroes" is a saying that has been printed on a popular T-shirt. The saying has been cited in print since at least 2005. The T-shirt is…
The loving couple --usually a boy and a girl -- in a romantic comedy must "meet cute." That is, when they meet each other for the first time, the situation must be "cute" --…
Boy Meets Girl is a play by Bella Spewak (1899-1990) and Samuel Spewak (1899-1971) that opened on Broadway on November 27, 1935. One character said: "BENSON. (indignantly) You couldn't…
"1984 is not an instruction manual" has been printed on many gift items, such as T-shirts, posters and buttons. The saying became popular with the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011 and…
Many workers look at many websites while at work. "NSFW" ("Not Safe For Work" or "Not Suitable For Work") is a warning that material will be on the screen that might…
"Are we there yet?": is a question that children, sitting in the back seat, ask to parents in the front seat during a family car trip. The question was popularized in an "Uncle…
An old gardening joke has it that one shouldn't plant onions next to potatoes "because the potatoes will cry their eyes out." The joke has been cited in print since at least 1912:…
An adage about the bravery -- or insanity -- of firefighters is that they run into a burning building when every else is running out. (The adage sometimes says that the "rats and roaches"…
The "Selkirk hurdle" describes the route that freight trains must travel to enter New York City. There is no freight crossing across the Hudson River into New York City, so trains must…
"Shit flows/rolls/runs downhill" means that difficulties flow from the top of an organization to the bottom, and those on the bottom will get the "shit." The saying has been…
"Real heroes don't wear capes -- they wear dog tags" has been printed on many gift items, such as T-shirts and bumper stickers. "Real heroes don't wear capes or leap tall…