Bouncebackability
"Bouncebackability" is the ability of a sporting team or competitor to come (or "bounce") back from a setback, such as a loss or an injury. "Sox Show Champ Class With…
Archive for 06/2014
“Soccer is 22 people running after a ball” (“Football is 22 people running after a ball”)
"Football/Soccer is 22 people running after a ball" is a popular definition of soccer (or football; also, of American football). "Once, I asked my husband what he found so…
“Football is 22 people on the field who need rest and 22,000 people in the stands who need exercise”
In spectator sports, the athletes get all the exercise and the spectators get all the rest. "Football is 22 people on the field who need rest and 22,000 people in the stands who need…
“If you have to think about whether a player is a hall of famer—he isn’t”
"If you have to think about whether a player is a hall of famer -- he isn't" is a popular rule of thumb in voting a player into the Hall of Fame. A Hall of Fame player must be…
Defensive Back University or DBU (University of Texas Longhorns football team nickname)
The University of Texas Longhorns football team became known as 'Defensive Back University" (DBU) because so many defensive backs went on to have success in the National Football League.…
“Football…bloody hell” (soccer saying)
Manchester United won the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final on May 26, 1999, after trailing most of the match. Manager Alex Ferguson was interviewed and was at a loss for words, saying,…
“Somebody has to do something, and it’s just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us”
Jerry Garcia (1942-1995), an American musician and member of the Grateful Dead band, supported efforts in 1988 to save the world's rain forests. On September 13, 1988, at the United Nations…
“You lift, you lose” (drag racing adage)
"Ypu lift, you lose" is a drag racing adage that has been printed on T-shirts and has been used by many drivers. Drag racing driver Frank Hawley possibly popularized it, although he later…
“Goals follow goals” (soccer adage)
"Goals follow goals" is a soccer adage. There might be a long stretch without any scoring, but after a goal is scored, another one often follows soon after. "Goals follow goals"…
Conspiracy Fact
A "conspiracy theory" is a proposition that a group of people conspired on an event, such as an assassination. Conspiracy theorists developed a reputation in the 1970s and 1980s for being…
“The land is so flat you can watch your dog run away for three days” (joke)
A popular joke is that parts of Texas are so flat and treeless that "you can watch your dog run away for three days." (The time varies; sometimes it's two days or even two weeks.)…
“If you want to get ahead, get a hat”
Wearing a hat used to be proper attire in business. "If you want to get ahead, get a hat" was a slogan by the British Hat Council. The slogan supposedly began in 1934, but newspapers in…
Frankensnack (Frankenstein monster + snack)
Entry in progress -- B.P.The novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus(1818), by British author Mary Shelley, is about scientist Victor Frankenstein who creates a creature or monster (not named…
“You’re more likely to divorce than to switch bank accounts”
"You’re more likely to divorce than to switch bank accounts" is a popular saying in the United Kingdom. "People are more likely to divorce than move their account to another…
“You don’t build a church for Easter Sunday”
"You don't build a church for Easter Sunday" is an idiom that often does not involve architecture. Easter Sunday is when a church usually has the most people; on any other Sunday,…
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast”
"Culture east strategy for breakfast/lunch" is a saying that is frequently credited to management author Peter Drucker (1909-2005), but it's not known when he used the expression.…
“Run through a brick wall (for a coach)” (player loyalty)
A coach receives total loyalty from his players if they would "run through a brick wall" for him -- that is, accept any command, no matter how difficult. "I'd run through a…
“Nothing good happens after midnight”
"Nothing good (ever) happens after midnight" is what a parent often cautions a child; children who go to sleep and who don't go out into the streets do not get into trouble. The hour…
“Capital punishment means them without the capital get the punishment”
One popular argument against the death penalty (capital punishment) is that it executes the poor -- rich people can afford expensive legal representation to avoid the penalty. "Capital…
“List to last” (real estate adage)
"List to last" (or "you have got to list to last") is a popular real estate adage -- that is, one has to list properties to last in the real estate business. "There's…