“You can’t be too rich or too thin”
"You can't be too rich or too thin" (or "A woman can never be too rich or too thin") is a popular phrase that originated in the 1960s. Women were obsessed with being thin…
“You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream”
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream" (or "Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy ice cream") is a popular saying that has been printed on posters.…
“You can’t cook with cold grease”
"You can't cook with cold grease" means that one should (usually proverbially) turn up the heat, or make things more intense. The Chicago (IL) Tribune cited in 1982: "Aaron…
“You can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning”
"You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as poster, T-shirts and mugs. The saying has been…
“You can’t eat decor”
"You can't eat decor" (or "you can't eat the decor") means that a restaurant should serve good food. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that a restaurant…
“You can’t eat just one” (“Betcha can’t eat just one”)
"Betcha can't eat just one" was the 1963 advertising campaign slogan (by Young & Rubicam) for Lay's Potato Chips. Television advertising featured New York City-born actor…
“You can’t have your Kate and Edith, too”
"You can't have your Kate and Edith, too" is a pun on the the famous saying, "You can't have your cake and eat it, too. This was printed in the Chicago (IL) Daily Tribune…
“You can’t live a full life on an empty stomach”
"You can't live a full life on an empty stomach" is a food saying that has been printed on many images. "That makes about as much sense to me as trying to live a full life on an…
“You can’t make a soufflé rise twice”
In 1948, New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey (1902-1971) ran for president of the United States -- and lost again. After Dewey's defeat in November 1948, Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980)…
“You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit”
The expressive flip side to "chicken salad" is "chicken feathers" (a euphemism for "chicken shit"). A difference "between chicken salad and chicken feathers"…
“You can’t make everybody happy. You’re not a Nutella jar”
"You can't make everybody happy you're not a NUTELLA jar" was cited on Twitter on August 19, 2014. Nutella is the brand name of an Italian sweetened hazelnut chocolate spread.…
“You can’t make half a sandwich”
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…
“You can’t spell sausage without U.S.A.”
"You can't spell sausage without U.S.A." is a saying that has been printed on many images. Johnsonville, a sausage company headquartered in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, trademarked…
“You can’t spell sausage without usage”
"You can't spell sausage without usage" is a jocular saying, less popular than “You can’t spell sausage without U.S.A.” "You can't spell 'sausage' without…
“You can’t take a second drink unless you have taken a first”
"You can't take a second drink unless you have taken a first" was included in the book A Dictionary of American Proverbs (1991), but the saying has also been included on Internet…
“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 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…
“You can’t spell ‘automaton’ without ‘tomato’”
"You can't spell automaton without tomato, thereby proving the tomato is evil" was posted on Twitter by Kerrie Sakura on September 7, 2010. "You can't spell…
“You cannot claim alcohol as a dependent on your taxes”
"You cannot claim alcohol as a dependent on your taxes" is a popular joke around tax filing time. "Wonder if I can claim alcohol as a dependent on my tax return" was posted on…
“You cannot use all-purpose flour for all purposes”
"All-purpose flour" (also called "AP flour") can be used for baking many things, although professional bakers usually use other flours. All-purpose flour is not good for…