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May 18, 2020
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You can’t spell subtext without buttsex”

An anagram of "subtext" is "buttsex." "You can't spell subtext without buttsex" is a saying that has been printed on several images. "Do you seriusly mean to…

January 2, 2024
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You can’t set a Hallmark movie in Texas. Unexpected snow isn’t magical down here”

The Hallmark Channel is known for its Christmas movies, with many movies featuring an unexpected snow. "You can’t set a Hallmark movie in the South. Unexpected snow isn’t magical down…

January 2, 2024
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You can’t set a Hallmark movie in the South. Unexpected snow isn’t magical down here”

The Hallmark Channel is known for its Christmas movies, with many movies featuring an unexpected snow. "You can’t set a Hallmark movie in the South. Unexpected snow isn’t magical down…

September 14, 2017
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You cannot pretend to play the air guitar”

"Air guitar" is pretending to play the guitar by fingering the air. "How do you pretend to play the air guitar???" was posted on Twitter on December 8, 2011. One can't…

March 15, 2026
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You don’t fully know your own strength until someone tries to pull you onto a dancefloor against your will”

Some people really do not want to dance. This was posted on X/Twitter by cluedont on November 23, 2013, and it received over 900 likes: "You don't fully know your own strength until…

January 17, 2016
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You have Van Gogh’s ear for music” (no ear for music)

Film director Billy Wilder (1906-2002) was making the film comedy Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) when he listened to an actor sing. The actor couldn't sing. "You have Van Gogh's ear for…

April 30, 2024
Buildings/Housing/ParksMusic/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You know you’re getting old when you clean your house to the music you used to get drunk to”

"You know you're over 30 when you now clean your house to the music you used to get drunk to" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying has several small…

March 4, 2021
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You know you’re old when you clean to the music you used to drink to”

"You know you're old when you clean to the music you used to drink too" was posted on Twitter by [Sparkling heart] on February 20, 2021. "You know you're old when you clean…

April 30, 2024
Buildings/Housing/ParksMusic/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You know you’re over 30 when you now clean your house to the music you used to get drunk to”

"You know you're over 30 when you now clean your house to the music you used to get drunk to" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying has several small…

April 30, 2024
Buildings/Housing/ParksMusic/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You know you’re over 40 when you now clean your house to the music you used to get drunk to”

"You know you're over 30 when you now clean your house to the music you used to get drunk to" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying has several small…

July 13, 2012
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You never cut funny” (scriptwriting adage)

The movie My Favorite Year (1982) was based on the Sid Caesar variety television show Your Show of Shows (1950-1954) -- a live television comedy legacy in New York City continued with Saturday…

March 9, 2015
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“You should try anything once—except incest and folk dancing”

"You should try anything/everything once -- except incest and folk dancing" is a popular jocular saying of unknown authorship. "His hobby is to try anything once— except fretwork…

July 30, 2019
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“Your Broadway and Mine” (Walter Winchell poem)

New York-born newspaper gossip columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) got his start on the Vaudeville News in 1920. He published the Broadway-themed poem "Your Broadway and Mine" on March…

March 18, 2023
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“Your kilt should be short enough for dancing a jig, but long enough to hide your lucky charms”

"St. Patrick's Day Tip: Your kilt should be short enough for dancing a jig, but long enough to hide your lucky charms" (also "Make sure your kilt is short enough to do a jig,…

February 12, 2025
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“Breakdancing is the most important dance of the day”

"Breakdancing" has nothing do to with "breakfast" (often called "the most important meal of the day"), but there are jokes. "Breakdance is the most important…

December 14, 2022
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

2 Dow Shay (two show day)

"Two dow shay" is a spoonerism for "two show day." Two shows a day is a business day in the theater, and the joke is that it's so exhausting that even the term can't…

December 18, 2022
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

5000 or M5 (dance move)

A "dip" dance move has also been called "Death drop" (or "Deathdrop"), "Shablam," "Shawam" (or "Shawham") and "5000." At the…

October 17, 2021
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

Actors Stewdio (Jim Downey’s Steak House nickname)

Wikipedia: Actors StudioThe Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the…

November 30, 2022
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

Aimez-vous Glamis (name used to avoid the “Macbeth” curse)

William Shakespeare's play Macbeth includes witches, and theater tradition has it that the play is cursed. Saying the play's name or its lines (outside of an actual performance) is said…

November 4, 2013
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

Any Body Can Dance (“ABCD” backronym)

"ABCD (Any Body Can Dance)" is a saying that is becoming increasing popular in dance. ABCD: Any Body Can Dance (2013) was the title of an Indian film. ABCD: Any Body Can Dance (2003) was…

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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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