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September 25, 2018
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The idea that women only belong in the kitchen is dated. The rest of the house needs cleaning”

"A woman's place is in the kitchen" is an old saying that is no longer politically correct, so there have been variations made. "I don't believe women should be kept in the…

December 2, 2020
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The junk drawer in now called the mask drawer”

The 2020 COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic resulted in many requirements to wear face masks. The junk drawer in people's kitchens became a mask drawer. "We have moved on from having a junk…

November 20, 2017
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The landscaper thought gardening magazines were fun to leaf through”

Do landscapers "leaf through" gardening magazines? "Returned home with a stack of back issues of old gardening magazines to leaf through for inspiration" was posted on Twitter…

January 17, 2022
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The little old woman who lived in a shoe wasn’t the sole owner. There were strings attached”

"There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe" is an English nursery rhyme. "RT@punoftheday The little old woman who lived in a shoe wasn't the sole owner - there were strings…

April 23, 2020
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The longer I stay home, the more homeless I look”

"The longer I stay home, the more homeless I look" is a saying that has been printed on many images. People who leave the house usually take more showers, shave and dress up, among other…

May 25, 2020
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The Lysol commercial told me to disinfect the things I touch the most. This is going to burn”

"A Lysol commercial just said to disinfect the thing you touch the most. Fuck!!! This is gonna burn" is a jocular line that was posted on Twitter by Mark on February 20, 2011. "THE…

February 25, 2020
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The main function of the little toe is to make sure that all the furniture is in place”

"The main function of the little toe on your foot is to make sure that all the furniture in the house is in place" -- another way of saying that the toe often bumps into the furniture --…

October 12, 2024
Buildings/Housing/ParksExercise/Running/Health Clubs

“The more random people you see jogging for no reason the higher the rent is going up”

If you're in a neighborhood and you see people jogging -- and not afraid of gunshots -- it could be an expensive neighborhood. "The more random people you see jogging for no reason the…

October 12, 2024
Buildings/Housing/ParksExercise/Running/Health Clubs

“The more white people you see jogging for no reason, the higher the rent finna be”

If you're in a neighborhood and you see people jogging -- and not afraid of gunshots -- it could be an expensive neighborhood. "The more random people you see jogging for no reason the…

January 6, 2017
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The official tree of New York City is scaffolding”

New York City has a lot of scaffolding. Erin Gloria Ryan posted on Twitter on September 29, 2013: "The official tree of New York City is scaffolding." Ryan's tweet was included in…

January 17, 2022
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The old woman who lived in a shoe wasn’t the sole owner. There were strings attached”

"There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe" is an English nursery rhyme. "RT@punoftheday The little old woman who lived in a shoe wasn't the sole owner - there were strings…

January 3, 2026
Buildings/Housing/ParksTime/Weather

“The only people who love snow are the people who never have to shovel snow”

What type of person loves the snow? "i love snow, until i have to shovel it!!!!" was posted on X/Twitter by Franco Campanella on December 6, 2009. "i love the snow... that is until i…

June 19, 2024
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The original gender neutral bathroom” (forest; ocean; outhouse; port-a-potty; swimming pool)

"The original gender neutral bathroom" is a saying that has been shown on many images. Usually a swimming pool is shown, but this term has also been used to describe the forest, the…

May 21, 2012
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The outdoors is what you must pass through in order to get from your apartment into a taxicab”

In her book Metropolitan Life (1978), author Fran Lebowitz wrote: "There are a number of reasons for this, chief among them being that to me the outdoors is what you must pass through in order…

December 2, 2025
Buildings/Housing/ParksEducation/Schools

“The patron saint of playgrounds is St. Francis of a seesaw”

Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone (1181-1226) is known as St. Francis of Assisi. There is no St. Francis of a See-Saw, but there are jokes. "I pray to the saint of ups and downs. St. Francis of…

March 29, 2005
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The Projects” (public housing projects)

People live in "the projects" - not their science projects, one would hope! The term dates to the 1930s and the "public housing projects" started at that time. 2 March 1939, New…

July 21, 2015
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“The room was so small, I had to go out in the hall to change my mind”

New York City apartments and hotel rooms are usually very small. "The room was so small," an old joke goes, "I had to go out in the hall to change my mind." The joke appeared in…

October 30, 2024
Banking/Finance/InsuranceBuildings/Housing/ParksHolidays/Events/Parades

“The scariest part of Halloween is knowing my rent is due the next day”

Halloween is October 31st, and the next day is November 1st. Bills are often due on the first of a month. This was posted on X/Twitter by 🦋@simplylay on October 30, 2022, and this received over…

October 30, 2024
Banking/Finance/InsuranceBuildings/Housing/ParksHolidays/Events/Parades

“The scariest thing about Halloween is that rent due at midnight”

Halloween is October 31st, and the next day is November 1st. Bills are often due on the first of a month. This was posted on X/Twitter by 🦋@simplylay on October 30, 2022, and this received over…

October 26, 2025
Buildings/Housing/ParksMusic/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“The seven dwarfs couldn’t reach the tap to water the garden because of their high hose”

"Heigh-Ho" is a famous song in the Disney animate film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). "Heigh-hos" shouldn't be confused with "high hose," but there are…

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BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

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