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June 30, 2020
Education/Schools

“It’s only physics if it’s from the Physique region of France. Otherwise it’s just sparkling math”

"Champagne" is sometimes used as a generic term for sparkling wine, but legally, it must come from the Champagne wine region of France. A joke was posted on Twitter by Anna Hughes on June…

November 6, 2022
Education/Schools

“It’s okay if you don’t know what ‘prefix’ means. It’s not the end of the word”

"It’s okay if you don’t know what 'prefix' means. It’s not the end of the word" is a joke that has been printed on several images. "Prefix" is the beginning of a…

October 5, 2015
Education/Schools

“Jewish dropout: A boy who didn’t get his Ph.D.”

American Jewish families in the 20th century valued education. A popular joke defined a "Jewish dropout" as "a boy who didn't get his Ph.D." The joke has been cited in…

July 5, 2015
Education/Schools

“Johnny thought that H2O was H2SO4” (chemistry rhyme)

Water (H20) should not be confused with sulfuric acid (H2SO4). A rhyming aid was cited in 1894 and has long been popular with high school and college chemistry students: Our Willie passed away…

July 25, 2019
Education/Schools

“Just found out I’ve failed my German exam. Sacre bleu!”

"Just found out I've failed my German exam. Sacre bleu!" is a joke that was posted on Twitter by Bob Kostic on January 28, 2018. "Sacrebleu" is French. TwitterBob…

November 27, 2020
Education/Schools

“Just passed my cheerleading exam. I went in to the exam room and said ‘Give me an A!’ so they did”

Cheerleaders often shout, "Give me a T! Give me an E! Give me an A! Give me an M! What does that spell? TEAM!" "Evening of stand-up @ Headliners.Exam joke from Milton Jones. 'I…

March 28, 2021
Education/Schools

“Just received my master’s degree in garden fencing. I’m now a post graduate”

"Post-graduate" means "after graduation," but a joke was posted on Facebook by Ian G Melonie on March 25, 2021: "Just received my Masters degree in garden fencing. I’m…

January 15, 2019
Education/Schools

“King Henry Died By Doing Crystal Meth” (metric mnemonic)

"King Henry Died Monday Drinking Chocolate Milk" is a mnemonic device for remembering the metric units, in descending order: kil-, hecto-, deka-, meter-, deci-, centi-, milli-. The…

December 6, 2019
Education/Schools

“Knock, knock.” / “Who’s there?” / “Diploma.”

"Diploma" can sound like "da plumba" or "the plumber." A knock-knock joke is: "Knock, knock.""Who's there?"Diploma."'Diploma…

March 6, 2021
Education/Schools

“Knowledge is free. You just gotta pay attention”

"Knowledge isn't free. You have to pay attention" is a saying that has been printed on many images. There are several variations of the saying, and authorship is unknown.…

June 10, 2018
Education/Schools

“Knowledge is knowing that Frankenstein is not the monster. Wisdom is knowing that Frankenstein is”

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), a novel written by English author Mary Shelley (1797–1851), is named after the character of scientist Victor Frankenstein. The monster he brings to…

September 13, 2015
Education/Schools

“Knowledge is like underwear—have it, but don’t show it off”

"Knowledge is like underwear. It is useful to have it, but not necessary to show it off" is a jocular line that has been printed on many images. "Knowledge is like underwear.…

November 9, 2015
Education/Schools

“Knowledge is power, and power corrupts. So study hard and be evil”

"Knowledge is power, and power corrupts. So study hard and be evil" has been printed on many gift items, such as T-shirts, posters and ecards. "Knowledge is power. Power corrupts.…

December 18, 2012
Education/Schools

“Knowledge is the greatest gift”

"Knowledge is the greatest gift" is a popular saying that's often used by schools and libraries. L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) might have coined (or at least popularized) the saying in…

March 6, 2021
Education/Schools

“Knowledge isn’t free. You gotta pay attention”

"Knowledge isn't free. You have to pay attention" is a saying that has been printed on many images. There are several variations of the saying, and authorship is unknown.…

March 6, 2021
Education/Schools

“Knowledge isn’t free. You have to pay attention”

"Knowledge isn't free. You have to pay attention" is a saying that has been printed on many images. There are several variations of the saying, and authorship is unknown.…

December 9, 2015
Education/Schools

“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens”

American poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809=1894) wrote in The Poet at the Breakfast-Table (1872): "It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to…

June 4, 2026
Education/SchoolsMusic/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“Last night I went to a comedy and philosophy convention. Laughed more than I thought”

The expression "I laughed more than I thought" really means "I laughed more than I thought I would laugh." Howeer, sometimes is means more laughing than thinking. "Last…

September 22, 2017
Education/Schools

“Latin is a language as dead as dead can be. It killed the ancient Romans and now it’s killing me”

Students of Latin has long said versions of this rhyme: "Latin is a language As dead as dead can be. It killed the ancient Romans And now it's killing me." A version printed in the…

September 2, 2017
Education/Schools

“Latin’s not dead. It’s just Roman around”

Is Latin a dead language? "Latin isn't dead. It's just 'Roman' around," Sen. Charles Hagel (R-Neb.) said in 2004. It's likely that Hagel heard the joke from…

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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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