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July 6, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“America: The country so great that even its haters refuse to leave”

"America: The country so great that even its haters refuse to leave" is a saying that has been printed on many images. Many Democrats said they would leave the United States if Donald…

April 27, 2013
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“America: The land where God saves and Satan invests” (anti-NRA slogan)

"America: The land where God saves and Satan invests in assault weapons and high capacity magazines" was printed on an anti-National Rifle Association poster by artist Shepard Fairey. The…

August 25, 2011
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“America’s chickens are coming home to roost”

"Chickens come home to roost" is an idiomatic expression meaning that bad words or deeds will come back to the speaker or actor. The expression was popularized by Robert Southey, who put…

February 29, 2024
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“America’s gun problem? Too few people carry one”

Some people believe that America has a gun problem of too many guns, but gun advocates disagree. "AMERICA'S GUN PROBLEM? TOO FEW PEOPLE CARRY ONE" (shown on an image) was posted on…

January 10, 2025
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“America’s not perfect but in times of crisis, our political leaders set aside their differences and ask: ‘What’s the least amount of aid we can provide…?’”

It's often said that the two major American political parties (Democrats and Republicans) fight each other, but in times of crisis, they set aside their differences for the sake of the…

May 28, 2022
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“American by birth. Patriot by choice”

"American by birth. Patriot by choice" is a saying that has been printed on many images. "American by birth, patriot by choice!" was printed in the Albany (OR) Democrat-Herald…

September 11, 2021
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“American conservatives are pretty homophobic for people so proud of their four fathers”

"Forefathers" shouldn't be confused with "four fathers," but there are jokes. "If gay marriage is wrong, then why did we have four fathers?" was posted on Twitter…

November 4, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“American Idol can count 130 million votes during a commercial break. No excuse for this”

The 2020 U.S. presidential election -- held during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic -- had early voting and mail-in ballots, and final results were delayed by days. The American Idol television…

November 4, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“American Idol can count 130 million votes in a commercial break. This is annoying”

The 2020 U.S. presidential election -- held during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic -- had early voting and mail-in ballots, and final results were delayed by days. The American Idol television…

November 5, 2010
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“American politics are played between the 40-yard lines”

"There's an old saying that politics in America is played between the 40-yard lines," wrote Fred Barnes (see 1988 citation below). "What this means, for those unfamiliar with…

May 2, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“An alpaca had a parasite removed from around its mouth. It was alpaca lip tick”

"Apocalyptic" shouldn't be confused with "alpaca lip tick," but there are jokes. "—Have you seen that film about what happened after the alpaca had a parasite…

March 15, 2019
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“An anti-Semite is someone who hates Jews more than is strictly necessary”

A Jewish "joke" is that everyone hates the Jews, but that an anti-Semite is someone who hate the Jews more than is absolutely necessary. The saying was printed in the essay "What Can…

July 20, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject”

"An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject" is a pro-gun slogan of unknown authorship. "An Armed Man is a Citizen, an Unarmed Man is a Subject" was a signature line…

January 9, 2023
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“An armed man is a free man. An unarmed man is a slave”

"This grieves and frightens me because, as I teach my son, an armed man is a free man; an unarmed man is helpless" was printed in the Port Huron (MI) Times Herald on February 24, 1963.…

January 9, 2023
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“An armed man is a free man. An unarmed man is a subject”

"This grieves and frightens me because, as I teach my son, an armed man is a free man; an unarmed man is helpless" was printed in the Port Huron (MI) Times Herald on February 24, 1963.…

January 9, 2023
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“An armed man is a free man”

"This grieves and frightens me because, as I teach my son, an armed man is a free man; an unarmed man is helpless" was printed in the Port Huron (MI) Times Herald on February 24, 1963.…

February 24, 2013
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“An armed society is a polite society”

Science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988) wrote in Beyond This Horizon (1942 in Astounding Science-Fiction and 1948 in book form): "Well, in the first place an armed society is a…

April 9, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“An army is like spaghetti—you can pull it, but not push it”

George S. Patton Jr. (1885-1945), a United States Army general who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean and European Theaters of World War II, believed in leading his…

March 25, 2023
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“An aspect of democracy is the belief that everyone is expected to have an opinion on everything”

Not everyone has an opinion on everything. However, in a democratic society, it's sometimes assumed that everyone does have an opinion on everything. "[Discussion] What's up with…

August 2, 2010
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications”

Government budgets and government programs tend to grow. Small projects or programs get approved and then vastly increase in size. "An elephant is a mouse built to government…

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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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