"Never underestimate the healing power of singing in a car really loud by yourself" is a jocular line that became popular in 2015. "Never underestimate the therapy singing in a car…
A "Dusty Miller" sundae is chocolate ice cream (or vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, or coffee ice cream) sprinkled with powdered malted milk. A Dusty Miller sundae was served in…
Jewish law does not permit eating pork. This fact found its way into restaurant slang, where "Hebrew enemies" became the slang for an order of pork chops. "Couple of Hebrew enemies…
"Ham" of the Bible is Noah's son, and this fact eventually found it's way into restaurant slang. "Noah's boy" became an order of boiled ham. "Noah's…
A joke about country music (cited in print since at least 1991) illustrates the sadness of much of the lyrics. "What do you get when you play a country song backwards? You get your job back,…
"Burnham's Folly" is frequently said to be an early nickname of Manhattan's Flatiron Building at 175 Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street, completed in 1902. The Flatiron Building was…
"Veni, Vidi, Venti" ("I came, I saw, I ordered Starbucks coffee") is a joke on the Latin "Veni, vidi, vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered"). "Venti"…
"I ran a half-marathon! Small print: I entered a marathon and gave up halfway through" was cited on Twitter on September 24, 2013. The joke became viral with Rick Aaron's tweet on…
"Hudson River ale" is a jocular slang term that was used in some New York City restaurants for "water." The seldom-used term was cited in print in 1936 and is of historical…
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree often comes with a higher salary than just a bachelor's. The MBA is sometimes given the jocular backronym (back acronym) of "Massive…
Employees often live in fear of when a boss catches them not doing work. "I love when my boss catches me doing work" is a jocular saying of the opposite situation. "Gotta love when…
Entry in progress -- B.P. JSTORFebruary 1936, American Speech, "Linguistic Concoctions of the Soda Jerker" by Harold W. Bentley, pp. 37-45:GEORGE EDDY. Man who gives no tips. Google…
A "Hoboken Special" is old restaurant slang for an order of pineapple soda and chocolate ice cream. Columbia University's Harold W. Bentley first recorded the term in…
A "mother-in-law sandwich" -- yet another mother-in-law joke -- usually contains the jocular ingredients of "tongue on rye" or "cold shoulder and tongue.' The sandwich…
A popular joke appeared in 1894 and was reprinted in many newspapers: "What did you think of my daughter's execution, Professor?" asked the fond mamma, as her fair daughter pounded…
Entry in progress -- B.P. [This entry was assisted by research from Stephen Goranson of the American Dialect Society listserv and from the Quote Investigator.] Wikipedia: Daniel WebsterDaniel…
"How do I like my eggs? Umm, in a cake?" is a jocular line that has been printed on posters and coffee mugs. "I like my eggs...in a cake" was cited on Twitter on April 21, 2010.…
"Toot and scramble" is a jocular Americanism for the French "tout ensemble" (all together). "Toot on scramble" was cited in 1853 and "toot and scramble" was…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Sports IllustratedOriginally Posted: September 27, 2004They Said ItThink of the people quoted here as the spiritual descendants of Yogi Berra, imparting precious pearls of…
Caldwell Jones played center for basketball's Philadelphia 76ers when a local sportswriter asked him what was his favorite seafood. "Salt water taffy," Jones responded. The joke was…