“I only like New York as a friend”
The "I Love New York" campaign of the 1970s featured the popular "I (heart) NY" T-shirts. Snorg Tees developed a parody T-shirt in April 2009 -- "I only like NY as a…
Archive for 08/2013
Big Apple
Above, the header from the February 18, 1924 New York (NY) Morning Telegraph newspaper column of John J. Fitz Gerald. Click to see a portion of the column which includes his use of "Big…
“Nothing happens until something moves”
"Nothing happens until somebody sells something" (or "Nothing happens until something is sold") is an advertising slogan that has been used since the early 1940s. "Nothing…
Yes My Retarded Ass Signed Up (“U.S. Army” backronym, backwards)
"Yes My Retarded Ass Signed Up" is a backronym (back acronym) of "U.S. Army," spelled backwards as "YMRASU." "Yes My Retarded Ass Signed Up" has been cited…
U Signed the Motherfucking Contract (“USMC” backronym)
"U Signed the Motherfucking Contract" is a backronym (back acronym) of "USMC" (United States Marine Corps). "U Signed the Motherfucking Contract" has been cited in…
Uncle Sam Ain’t Released Me Yet (“U.S. Army” backronym)
"Uncle Sam Ain't Released Me Yet" is a backronym (back acronym) for "U.S. Army." "U.S. Army, which many soldiers will tell you is a contraction for 'Uncle Sam…
My Ass Rides In Navy Equipment (“Marine” backronym)
"My Ass Rides In Navy Equipment" is a backronym (back acronym) for the word "Marine." "My Ass Rides In Navy Equipment" has been cited in print since at least November…
Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Essential (“Marine” backronym)
"Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Essential" is a backronym (back acronym) for the word "Marine." This is alleged lack of intelligence not necessarily true; it has been…
Miracle at the New Meadowlands (2010 Giants collapse)
The original "Miracle at the Meadowlands" (November 18. 1978) -- also called "The Fumble" -- featured a New York Giants fumble in the closing seconds that led to a Philadelphia…
Aren’t Ready for the Marines Yet (“army” backronym)
"Aren't Ready for the Marines Yet" (sometimes also "Aren't Ready to be Marines Yet" and "Aren't Really Marines Yet") is a backronym (back acronym) for…
“When my ship comes in, I’ll be at the airport”
"When my ship comes in" is an idiom meaning "when my fortune arrives." People who have bad luck (and who doubt that their ship ever will come in) have added an extra ending to…
Butt Fumble (2012 NY Jets football fumble)
The New York Jets lost to the New England Patriots on November 22, 2012, by the score of 49-19. The lowlight of the game for the Jets came when quarterback Mark Sanchez ran into the rear end of…
The Fumble or Miracle at the Meadowlands (1978 Giants fumble)
The New York Giants were leading the Philadelphia Eagles, 17-12, and all Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik had to do was down the ball one last time to end the game. He tried to hand the ball off to…
Pizza Phone (hotel phone button to order pizza)
"My hotel phone has a button just for pizza" was a post on reddit in August 2013; the hotel was Country Inns & Suites (Niagara Falls, Ontario). The Huffington Post headline declared…
Sept-taper or Septaper (September + taper)
The stock market had all eyes on the Federal Reserve in 2013, speculating when its quantitative easing program -- involving as much as $85 billion a month -- would lessen or "taper." The…
Greekovery (Greek + recovery)
"Grexit" (Greece/Greek + exit) was a popular term in 2012, when it was feared that a poor Greek economy would force the nation to exit the euro zone. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras…
“If you sleep with the elephants, you can’t cover the circus” (journalism adage)
"If you sleep with the elephants, you can't cover the circus" has developed into a newspaper adage. In 1977, it was discovered that New York (NY) Times writer Laura Foreman had been…
“If there is a question in a headline, the answer is always no” (journalism adage)
Newspaper headlines sometime ask a question, and the answer to that question is usually "no." If the answer is "yes," then it's a fact and there would be no reason to ask a…
“Four things put a man beside himself—women, tobacco, cards, and wine”
"Four things put a man beside himself -- women, tobacco, cards, and wine" is an old Spanish proverb, cited in print since at least 1726. A variant of this proverb replaces…
“If it grows together, it goes together” (food and wine adage)
"It it grows together, it goes together" is a philosophy or wine and food pairings. Food and wine from a certain region (and from a certain season) should be served together, according to…