“You can’t teach scoring” (sports adage)
"You can't teach scoring" is a saying that has been used both in the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association. It's very difficult to turn a 20-goal scorer…
Food/Drink
“You can’t tell me what to do, you’re not my dog”
"You don't get to tell me what to do, you're not my dog" (also "Don't tell me what to do, you're not my dog" and "You can't tell me what to do,…
“You can’t tell the players without a score card”
"You can't tell the players without a score card/scorecard" is what baseball vendors yelled in the 1890s and 1900s to sell their score cards for a nickel. "You can't tell…
“You can’t truly refer to yourself as an adult until you catch yourself getting really angry when the grocery store changes their layout”
"You can't truly refer to yourself as an adult until you catch yourself getting really angry when the grocery store changes their layout" is a saying that has been printed on many…
“You can’t vote yourself free”
"You can't spend yourself rich and you can't vote yourself free" is a saying popularized by Ukrainian-American author, podcaster, columnist, anarchist and media personality…
“You can’t walk your way off the island” (Dominican baseball adage)
Dominican baseball players have been known as free swingers who don't take walks. Dominican-born shortstop Rafael Ramirez explained in 1986: "You have to swing like a man. A walk…
“You can’t win a championship shooting jumpers” (basketball adage)
It's a basketball adage that jumpshooting teams (such as teams that rely on three-point shots) do not win championships. A successful basketball team must also have an inside game because…
“You can’t win them all”
"You can't win them/'em all" is a popular sports adage meaning that no one is perfect. The saying has been used in major league baseball, where even the greatest teams lose a…
“You can’t win. You can’t break even. You can’t quit the game” (Ginsberg’s Theorem)
The Laws of Thermodynamics were translated into everyday English in Astounding Science Fiction in November 1953: "You can't win." (The Law of Conservation of Energy.) "You…
“You can’t wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time”
"You can't wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time" means that one can't despair ("wring your hands") and take action ("roll up your…
“You can’t be sad when you’re holding a cup of coffee”
Entry in progress -- BP X/Twitter Emad R. Y. Michel @worldofsemsem You can’t be sad when you’re holding a cup of Coffee ☕️💚❤️ Photo: @julialssa 12:12 AM · May 5, 2025
“You can’t eat a whole cake, but you can eat a cupcake”
Cupcakes are usually smaller than cakes. People who can't eat a whole cake can usually eat a cupcake. "The cupcake craze has gone too far and I am having cupcake backlash... Why not eat a…
“You can’t eat snacks while you sleep so taking a nap is basically a diet”
"You can’t eat snacks while you sleep so taking a nap is basically a diet" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying was posted on X/Twitter by Simon Holland on June…
“You can’t give away a used mattress but somehow we’ll pay 100/night to sleep on one at a hotel”
"You can’t give away a used mattress but somehow we’ll pay three hundred bucks a night to sleep on one at a hotel" is a saying that has been printed on many images. Earlier versions…
“You can’t give away a used mattress but somehow we’ll pay 300/night to sleep on one at a hotel”
"You can’t give away a used mattress but somehow we’ll pay three hundred bucks a night to sleep on one at a hotel" is a saying that has been printed on many images. Earlier versions…
“You can’t inject health”
"You can't inject health" is a saying used by anti-vaccination supporters. The saying means that health can be acquired in many ways by healthy living (such as eating right and…
“You can’t kick me out of the International House Of Pancakes! I have diplomatic immunity!”
The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) doesn't give anyone diplomatic immunity, but there are jokes. "The best thing about working at the International House of Pancakes? Diplomatic…
“You can’t learn to swim by reading a book”
One learns to swim by getting in the water. It is often said that you cannot learn to swim by watching, or by reading a book about swimming in the library. The saying about swimming has been used…
“You can’t learn to swim in a library”
One learns to swim by getting in the water. It is often said that you cannot learn to swim by watching, or by reading a book about swimming in the library. The saying about swimming has been used…
“You can’t make a half sandwich. If it’s not half of a whole sandwich, it’s just a small s.”
On the American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory, the episode "The Guitarist Amplification" that originally aired on November 9, 2009, the character Sheldon Cooper (actor Jim…