“Beware of geeks bearing formulas”
"Beware of Greeks bearing gifts" (such as the Trojan horse) is a paraphrase of a line from Virgil's Aeneid, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 B.C. "Beware of geeks bearing…
Archive for 04/2014
Suckretary (suck + secretary)
"Suckretary" (suck + secretary) is a derogatory term that originally described a female secretary working under a male boss. However, "suckretary" has also been used to deride…
Bankenstein (bank + Frankenstein monster)
"Bankenstein" (bank + Frankenstein monster) can refer to a scary, Frankenstein monster-like bank -- or to a banker at such a bank. Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1822) is a…
“Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth”
The book The Unknown Patton (1982) by Charles M. Province contains the following quote by United States Army General George S. Patton (1885-1945): "Politicians are the lowest form of life on…
“Breed the best to the best and hope for the best” (horse racing adage)
"Breed the best to the best and hope for the best" is an old horse racing adage regarding breeding. "As the first and most potent principle of breeding is to breed the best to the…
“You can’t hit a three-run homer with nobody on base” (baseball adage)
"You can't hit a two/three/four-run homer with nobody on base" is a baseball adage. Often, a team is behind by a number of runs and has its power hitter at the plate; however, the…
“Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget.” (USS New York motto)
The USS New York was added to the United States Navy fleet in 2009 with the motto, "Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget." The ship was made with steel from New York…
Loligarchy (lol + oligarchy)
"Loligarchy" or "LOLigarchy" (laugh out loud/LOL + oligarchy) is a government that is laughably run by a small number of powerful people or organizations. "Loligarchy"…
Moonbatty (moonbat + batty)
"Moonbatty" (moonbat + batty) is a term for "crazy" that comes usually from the political right and is applied to the political left. "Moonbatty" has been cited in…
“Fishing is boring, unless you catch an actual fish, and then it is disgusting”
"Fishing is boring, unless you catch an actual fish, and then it is disgusting" was written by syndicated newspaper columnist and humorist Dave Barry for a column on November 19, 1994.…
“Succeed and proceed”
"One and done" means that a star high school basketball player plays one year in college, and then announces that he is turning professional. There often is little incentive to do well at…
Triangle Numbers (a player’s height, weight and speed)
Football scouts evaluate a prospect's "triangle numbers" -- his height, weight and speed. "Those are the so-called triangle numbers -- height, weight, speed -- that coaches…
“Scout traits, not production” (player acquisition strategy)
"Draft/Evaluate/Scout traits, not production" is a professional football adage in evaluating a player for the NFL draft. A player might have had very good or very poor production in…
Hamburger Bun
Walt A. Anderson is sometimes credited with inventing the hamburger bun for the White Castle restaurant in 1921. Oscar Weber Bilby of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is sometimes credited for putting the first…
Hamburger Restaurant
There is some debate about when the first "hamburger restaurant" -- not merely a hamburger stand -- opened for business. Louis' Lunch of New Haven, Connecticut, claims to have…
Goober Burger or Goober Hamburger (hamburger with peanut butter)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 1 September 1963, Trenton (NJ) Sunday Times-Advertiser, "Forward In Homemaking" by Mrs. Margaret M. Lawson, Mercer County Home Agent, pt. 3, pg. 4, col. 2:GOOBER…
Gymtimidation (gym + intimidation)
"Gymtimidation" (gym + intimidation) is for someone to be intimidated from going to a gym. Planet Fitness has used "No Gymtimidation" in its ads and has trademarked this since…
“You can’t give a major league team four outs” (baseball adage)
"You can't give a major league team four outs (in an inning and expect to win)" is an old baseball adage. There are three outs in an inning. However, sometimes a player makes an…
Cat Café
A "cat café" is a place where people can drink coffee and also pet cats; in some cities, owning a cat is expensive. The world's first cat café opened in Taiwan in 1998. In April…
Conspiratainment (conspiracy + entertainment)
"Conspiratainment" (conspiracy + entertainment) is a term used for media programs that specialize in conspiracy theories; one such television program was even titled Conspiracy Theory.…