“Old skiers never die—they just go downhill”
"Old soldiers never die -- they just fade away” is an old saying that was popularized by General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) in his farewell address to Congress on April 19, 1951. Many…
Archive for 04/2015
“Why did the boy throw butter out the window?”/“To see the butter fly.”
"Butterfly" and "butter fly" lead to the obvious joke: Q: Why did the boy throw butter out the window?A: He wanted to see the butter fly. The joke has been cited in print since…
Conundrum Supper
A "conundrum supper" ("conundrum dinner" is less frequently used) is a meal where each menu item is presented in the form of a riddle. For example, "A Group of…
“Run fast, turn left” or “Run hard, turn left” (running advice)
"Run fast/hard, turn left” is jocular running advice that has been printed on many T-shirts. "I thought there were just two things to do: run hard and turn left" was cited in print…
“I love ketchup from my head tomatoes”
"I love ketchup/you from my head tomatoes" is a jocular line that has been printed on many gift items, such as posters, T-shirts and ecards. "'From my head tomatoes' - Adam…
“Hit hard, run fast, turn left” (baseball/softball advice)
"Run fast, turn left" is a classic piece of running advice. "Hit hard, run fast, turn left" is jocular baseball softball advice that has been printed on many T-shirts.…
“They laughed when I said I was going to be a comedian. They’re not laughing now”
British comedian Bob Monkhouse (1928-2003) is remembered for a classic line: “They all laughed when I said I'd become a comedian. Well, they're not laughing now.” It's not known…
“A blind man walks into a bar and says, ‘Wanna hear a blonde joke?’” (bar joke)
"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." A popular "blind man walks into a bar" joke (there are several) is about a man…
“Experience is the best teacher, but the tuition is high”
"Experientia docet (experience teaches) is a Latin phrase. "Experience is the best teacher" is a proverb that has been cited since at least the 18th century. The tuition cost was…
“There are some ideas so wrong that only a very intelligent person could believe in them”
"There are some ideas so wrong that only a very intelligent person could believe in them" has been credited to George Orwell (the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, 1903-1950) since at least…
“Is Betteridge’s law of headlines correct?” (headline joke)
“If there is a question in a headline, the answer is always no” is a journalism adage. British technology journalist Ian Betteridge mentioned the adage in 2009, and it has often been called…
“A blind man walks into a bar…” (bar joke)
"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." A popular "blind man walks into a bar" joke (there are several) is: "A blind…