“Get a $100 lock and a $50 bike” (bicycle adage)
Bicycles frequently get stolen in New York City. In a New York (NY) Times "Spokes" blog column on June 9, 2009, Sean Patrick Farrell wrote that it's "an old saying in New York…
Food/Drink
“Get a foot in the door” (get an opening to an opportunity)
The expression "get a foot in the door" comes from the days of door-to-door salesmen around 1900. A salesman would stick his foot in the door so that the door coudn't be closed, thus…
“Get a room!” (excessive public affection or praise)
A person might make a display of excessive public affection for another, causing others to remark, "Get a room!" (That is, go to a motel room and show your affection for one another…
“Get at least eight hours of beauty sleep. Nine, if you’re ugly”
American actress Betty White had a long television career when she appeared, at age 89, on the Late Show with David Letterman on June 13, 2011, to offer her "Top 10" tips for living a…
“Get back to the big apple” (Ebony magazine, 1968)
Ebony magazine was founded in 1945 to serve the African-American community. This quotation from a Vietnam War article was printed in August 1968: "Here a lanky, Brooklyn draftee stated:…
“Get big, get niche or get out” (business adage)
"Get big, get niche or get out" is a popular saying in the information technology (IT) industry, particularly in the UK. The saying means that a business can survive by "getting…
“Get crackin’” or “Get cracking” (removing shells from eggs, nuts)
"Get cracking" (or "get crackin'") means to get started (or "get to work"). The "cracking" probably comes from the crack of the whip, as applied to…
“Get fit to play sports — don’t play sports to get fit”
"Get fit to play sports -- don't play sports to get fit" (or "Get in shape to play sports -- don't play sports to get in shape") is a frequently cited sports and…
“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: John Lewis (civil rights leader) John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil-rights leader who served in the…
“Get It First, But First Get It Right” (International News Service)
"Get It First, But First Get It Right" was the slogan of the International New Service (INS), founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909. The slogan is cited in print…
“Get me a crocodile sandwich, and make it snappy” (joke)
"Get me a crocodile/alligator sandwich, and make it snappy" is a popular one-line joke with a pun on the word "snappy" (quick). "A crocodile sandwich, and make it…
“Get me a table near a waiter” (restaurant joke)
The comedian Henny Youngman (1906-1998) was a longtime member of New York Friars Club. When he walked in to the eating area, he'd always use his familiar line: "Get me a table near a…
“Get me an alligator sandwich, and make it snappy”
"Get me a crocodile/alligator sandwich, and make it snappy" is a popular one-line joke with a pun on the word "snappy" (quick). "A crocodile sandwich, and make it…
“Get Met. It Pays” (Metropolitan Life)
Metropolitan Life (or, Met Life) has been in New York City for about 130 years. Its most popular representation is the Met Life building at 200 Park Avenue (formerly the Pan Am building). "Get…
“Get off my phone!” (radio talk show saying)
"Get off my phone!" was the catchphrase of conservative talk radio host Bob Grant (1929-2013). If Grant didn't like a caller, Grant would shout, "Get off my phone, you…
“Get off the cross, we need the wood”
"Get off the cross, we need the wood" is a reference to Jesus and Christianity. The saying means that someone is not Jesus and is not here to be a savior, so that person should stop…
“Get out of Dodge”
Dodge City, Kansas, was a stop on Texas longhorn cattle drives in the 1800s. The phrase "Get out of Dodge!" comes not from the old West, but from the radio (1952-1961) and television…
“Get re-elected” (First Law of Officeholders/Incumbents)
"Get re-elected" was called "the first law for officeholders" by Harold Faber, in a 1968 article on humorous "laws" for the New York (NY) Times. 'Get…
“Get stoned. Drink wet cement”
"Get (really) stoned. Drink wet cement" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many images. "Get Really Stoned, Drink Wet Cement" (a saying printed on a button) was…
“Get the U.S. out of the U.N. and the U.N. out of the U.S.”
The United Nations was formed in 1945; its headquarters at Turtle Bay in Manhattan was completed in 1952. "Take US out of UN, then push UN out of US" was cited in 1951, before the…