“Eat Now—Pay Waiter” (restaurant sign)
"Eat now, pay later" is standard procedure at many restaurants. In Glendale (MO) in 1964, a restaurant sign was: "Eat Now Pay Waiter." The one-liner still appears in some…
Archive for /P36440
“Now that food has replaced sex in my life, I can’t even get into my own pants”
"Now that food has replaced sex in my life, I can't even get into my own pants" is a saying that has appeared on internet joke lists and on T-shirts. The saying is of unknown origin…
“Politics ain’t beanbag”
"Politics ain't beanbag" is the famous statement of Mr. Dooley, an Irish-American character of writer Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936). In an 1895 newspaper column, the full quote was:…
“What goes around, comes around”
"What goes around, comes around" is a way of saying: "OK, you got me this time, but you'll get yours (payback) the next time." The phrase has been used in song titles by…
Campechana (seafood cocktail)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Goode Company Seafood (Houston, TX)Campechana De Mariscos (Mexican Seafood Cocktails)Shrimp...10.95Crab...10.95Campechana Extra Shrimp & Crab)...11.95 19 August 1963,…
Eleventh Commandment (“Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican”)
There are Ten Commandments in the Hebrew Bible. but people often add others, usually in jest. A popular Eleventh Commandment in the early 1800s was "Mind your business." A political…
“The best argument against democracy is a five minute talk with the average voter”
"The best argument against democracy is a five minute talk with the average voter" is often said to have been spoken by Winston Churchill (1874-1965), but there is no record that he ever…
“A camel is a horse designed by a committee”
Committee decision-making has been criticized for producing ugly, generic results. "A camel is a horse designed/planned by a committee" is a phrase of unknown authorship that became…
“Don’t vote—it only encourages them”
"Don't vote -- it only encourages them" is a joke that television comedian Jack Paar told in May 1966. During the presidential election year of 1976, the saying was put on buttons…
“As Maine goes, so goes the nation”
"As goes Maine, so goes the nation" usually means that the winner of Maine's presidential vote will win the presidential election. This was not the original form of the phrase, nor…
“Right down Broadway” (straight and true, said of a baseball pitch)
"Right down Broadway" was a baseball expression of announcer Arch McDonald (1901-1960), meaning a strike pitch right down the middle of the plate. Broadway, from the foot of Manhattan to…
Nutcracker and Nemo (sweet liquor punch)
A "nutcracker" is a drink of fruit punch and alcohol; a "nemo" (after the 2003 film Finding Nemo) is a frozen nutcracker. The New York (NY) Daily News wrote about the drinks on…
“Nothing Sacred But the Truth” (New York Observer)
"Nothing sacred but the truth" is the slogan of the New York Observer, a weekly newspaper first published in 1987. The slogan has not been trademarked. The phrase "Nothing sacred but…
“Liberal with sanity” (Ed Koch)
Ed Koch, the mayor of New York City from 1978-1989, referred to himself as a "liberal with sanity." Koch meant that he was not a radical liberal or a "loony liberal," although…
“New York is the city where the future comes to rehearse”
"New York is the city where the future comes to rehearse" is what New York City Mayor Ed Koch said at his third inaugural address on January 1, 1986. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg…
Watermelon (green on the outside, red on the inside)
Environmentalists are sometimes called by the slang name "watermelon" for being green on the outside and red (communist or anti-capitalist) on the inside. The term "watermelon"…
“Democrats fall in love; Republicans fall in line”
"Democrats fall in love, Republicans fall in line" has been a political saying since 2003. In 1999-2000, many people commented that Al Gore (the vice president and Democrat presidential…
“Heck of a job, Brownie!” or “Heckuva job, Brownie!”
"Heck of a job!" ("Heckuva job!") usually had been a compliment by a speaker to someone who worked a tough job under difficult circumstances. On September 2, 2005, U.S.…
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”
"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" is a saying that has been credited to many people, such as Cavett Robert and John C. Maxwell. The saying…
“Throw money at a problem” (Washington reflex)
"Too often our Washington reflex is to discover a problem and then to throw money at it, hoping that somehow it will go away" said Kenneth Keating (1900-1975), the Republican senator from…