BOMFOG (Brotherhood Of Man, Fatherhood Of God)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 3 July 1939, New York (NY) Times, "Bishop O'Hara Is Peaker on Eve of Opening of Institute of Public Affairs" by Winifred Mallon, pg. 7:CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.,…
Boobeoisie or Booboisie (boob + bourgeoisie)
The writer and critic H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) coined the term "booboisie" (boob + bourgeosie) in the Baltimore (MD) Evening Sun on February 15, 1922. Mencken meant to describe a middle…
Boobus Americanus
The newspaper columnist and American language scholar H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) wrote in 1927 about the words he created: "Of my inventions I am vainest of Bible Belt, booboisie, smut hound…
Boodle Board (Board of Aldermen)
The Board of Aldermen was notoriously corrupt in the 19th century, sometimes earning itself the nickname "Forty Thieves." The 1884 Board of Aldermen became nicknamed the "boodle…
Boomer Doomer or Boomer Remover (COVID-19 nickname)
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic affected mostly older people, such as baby boomers (people born from 1946 to 1964). COVID-19 was nicknamed the "Boomer Remover" and "Boomer…
Boomer Remover or Boomer Doomer (COVID-19 nickname)
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic affected mostly older people, such as baby boomers (people born from 1946 to 1964). COVID-19 was nicknamed the "Boomer Remover" and "Boomer…
Boots on the Ground
"Boots on the ground" means "ground troops." Modern warfare often involves missiles and air support first, followed by "boots on the ground." "Boots on the…
Boss Indians Around (Bureau of Indian Affairs or BIA nickname)
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior responsible for the administation and management of Native American land in the United States. Critics of the…
Botax (Botox + tax)
The "Botax" or "botax" (Botox + tax) is a tax on cosmetic procedures, especially involving Botox. New York City considered a "botax" in 2004 and the federal government…
Boycott; Girlcott; Procott; Buycott
Entry in progress -- B.P. WIkipedia: BoycottA boycott is a form of consumer activism involving the act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with someone or some other…
Bradley Effect (Wilder Effect; Dinkins Effect)
The "Bradley effect" is named after Tom Bradley, who was leading in the polls for California governor in 1982, but lost a close race to George Deukmejian. The "Bradley effect"…
Brain Trust
A "trust" is a combination of companies by legal agreement; examples from the late 1800s include the oil trust and the sugar trust. The earliest example of a "brain trust" is…
Bravo Sierra (b.s., or bullshit)
"Bravo sierra" means, using the phonetic alphabet, the letters "B" and "S," and stands for the words "bull shit" (or "bullshit"). "I think…
Bread-and-Butter Issue
A "bread-and-butter issue" is a central economic issue, such as the price of food (bread and other foods) or the price of gas. The early 19th century featured the "bread-and-butter…
British Accreditation Registry (“bar” backronym)
The legal "bar"is sometimes said to be an acronym (or backronym) for "British Accredited Registry" or "British Accreditation Registry." "The acronym BAR was…
Broligach (bro + oligarch)
"Broligarch" (bro + oligarch) and "broligarchy" (bro + oligarchy) are terms to describe people such as Elon Musk (X/Twitter) and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Jeff Bezos…
Broligarchy (bro + oligarchy)
"Broligarch" (bro + oligarch) and "broligarchy" (bro + oligarchy) are terms to describe people such as Elon Musk (X/Twitter) and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Jeff Bezos…
BS-19 (bullshit + COVID-19)
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic was called bullshit (b.s.) by some people who used the term "BS-19." "The lead is killing us not covid bs19" was posted on Twitter by Zena on…
Buckley Rule (vote for most conservative primary candidate likely to win general election)
Conservative author and commentator William F. Buckley (1925-2008) was asked, in 1967, whom he would support in 1968 for U.S. president. Buckley responded with what would late be called the…
Buckraker (buck + muckraker)
A "buckraker" (buck + muckraker) originally referred to a muckraking journalist who raked in bucks through speaking engagements, books and other sources. "Buckraker" also refers…