“Shoot pool with a rope” (an impossible task)
You can't shoot pool with a rope, just as you can't push a string and you can't push spaghetti. The "shoot pool with a rope" line has become a popular remark about male…
Archive for 11/2015
“Nothing as stupid as an educated man if you get him off the thing he was educated in”
Academics specialize, but are often clueless in areas outside of this specialized knowledge. American humorist Will Rogers (1873-1935) pointed this out in a July 1931 newspaper column, where he…
Bee Vomit (honey)
Honey has been called "bee vomit" -- often in jest -- since at least 1982. Some honey products have had "bee vomit" on the label, and "Honey is really just bee vomit"…
Hanukkah Gelt
Jewish children celebrating Hanukkah or Chanukah (the Festival of Lights) traditionally have received "Hanukkah gelt" (money), which the children would spend on candies or on a charitable…
“We’re working to develop a university the football team can be proud of”
A higher education joke asks: Is it a university with a football team, or a football team with a university? Dr. Charles Dan Procter, president of the Oklahoma College for Women (now the University…
“How do you eat an elephant?”/“One bite at a time”
"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time," a popular saying has it. The proverb means that giant tasks can be accomplished if done a little at a time. Frank Cody, Detroit's…
“Give a hoot, don’t pollute”
The United States Forest Service created Woodsy Owl in 1970 for its famous advertising campaign, "Give a hoot — don't pollute!" The slogan was recorded in newspapers in November…
“You don’t drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there”
"You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there" is a motivational saying that has been printed on many images. The saying has been cited in print since at least…
“Eggs are the menstrual flow of hens” (“Eggs are chicken periods”)
"Eggs are the menstrual flow of hens" or "Eggs are chicken periods" are arguments made by some vegetarians, vegans and members of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of…
“He puts his pants on one leg at a time” (he’s human)
A popular sports expression is that an opposing star player "puts his pants on one leg at a time" -- that is, he's still human, like everyone else. "The Tech team Is just like…
“The rodeo ain’t over till the bull riders ride”
"Church is never out until they stop singing" is a saying that has been popular since the late 1800s. "It ain't over 'til it's over" is a similar saying that has…
“The most fattening thing you can put in an ice-cream sundae is a spoon”
"The most fattening thing you can put in an ice-cream sundae is a spoon" is a popular one-line saying that is often included with other dieting sayings. "The most fattening thing you…
Skyville (Schuylerville, Bronx)
Schuylerville is a middle-class neighborhood in the East Bronx. The Wikipedia entry states that Schuylerville has been nicknamed "Skyville," but this nickname appears only infrequently in…
Thieves’ Lair (Longacre Square/Times Square)
The Longacre Square area of Manhattan -- called Times Square since 1904 -- didn't have theatres in the 1880s and early 1890s. The crime-ridden area was known as the "Thieves'…
“Prospects will break your heart” (baseball adage)
"Prospects will break your heart " is a baseball adage, used and popularized by Baseball Prospectus in February 2011 and in following years. The saying especially applies to pitching…
The Dinosaur (English Elm in Washington Heights)
"The Dinosaur" is tha name of an English Elm tree at St. Nicholas Avenue and 163rd Street in Washington Heights, Manhattan. George Washington is said to have walked by the tree around the…
Hare Krishna Tree (American Elm in Tompkins Square Park)
The "Hare Krishna Tree" is an American Elm in Tompkins Square Park, under which the Hare Krishna movement began in America in 1966. Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada…
“When you leave New York, you are astonished at how clean the rest of the world is”
“When you leave New York, you are astonished at how clean the rest of the world is,” New York-based author Fran Lebowitz told People magazine in September 1978. "Clean is not enough."…
“Make your mark in New York, and you are a made man”
Mark Twain (the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemons, 1835-1910) reported from New York City for the Daily Alta California, and wrote on May 17, 1867 (published on June 16): "Make your mark in…
“IKEA is Swedish for divorce”
IKEAis a Swedish multinational group that is the world's largest furniture retailer. "IKEA" is an acronym that consists of the initials of Ingvar Kamprad (the founder), Elmtaryd (the…