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May 26, 2022
Food/Drink

“If you mix garlic with a hallucinogenic, you’d get an Allicin Wonderland”

Allicin is an organosulfur compound obtained from garlic. "Allicin Wonderland" is an obvious pun on Alice in Wonderland. "The body is, in fact, a veritable allicin wonderland"…

May 24, 2021
Food/Drink

“If you mix sodium, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and sulfur together, what do you get? NaCHOS!”

Nachos are sometimes described by the elements Sodium (Na), Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O), with Sulfur (S). "What do you get when you combine sodium (Na), carbon (C), hydrogen (H),…

May 16, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“If you mix Tabasco in hand sanitizer, it will not only kill germs…”

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic caused many people to buy hand sanitizer. "If you’re having trouble keeping your hands away from your face and eyes just mix Tabasco in your hand…

July 6, 2013
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“If you must burn our flag, please wrap yourself in it first”

"If you must burn our flag, please wrap yourself in it first" is a saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as bumper stickers and posters. The saying was a response to the…

April 1, 2021
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“If you need a vaccine passport to ‘return to normal,’ you’re not returning to normal”

"Vaccine passports" were proposed in 2021 as a solution to "return to normal." "Just a reminder, if you need a vaccine passport to 'return to normal', you’re…

January 4, 2025
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“If you need to buy stuff just to organize your existing stuff, maybe you own too much stuff”

"If you have to buy stuff to store your stuff, you might have too much stuff" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying is from Courtney Carver of the website…

December 31, 2015
Sports/Games

“If you need two yards, he’ll get you two yards…” (running back joke)

It's sometimes said of a powerful, short-yardage runner in football that, "If you need two yards, he'll get you two yards. If you need seven yards, he'll get you two…

January 21, 2022
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“If you need violence to enforce your ideas, your ideas are worthless”

"If you need violence to enforce your ideas, your ideas are worthless" is a saying that has been printed on many images. "If you need violence to protect your ideas, your ideas are…

January 19, 2022
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“If you need violence to protect your ideas, your ideas are worthless to begin with”

"If you need violence to enforce your ideas, your ideas are worthless" is a saying that has been printed on many images. "If you need violence to protect your ideas, your ideas are…

May 17, 2021
Food/Drink

“If you needed a reason to unfriend me, I like pineapple on pizza”

Many people have strong feelings about pineapple as a pizza topping. "The only acceptable reason to unfriend someone is if they like pineapple pizza" was posted on Twitter by MicDre on…

August 19, 2013
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun”

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun" is a saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as posters, T-shirts and wall plagues. The saying is almost always credited to…

February 8, 2022
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“If you only knew how much money was spent to brainwash you, you would realize how special you are”

"If you only knew how much money was spent to brainwash you, you would realize how special you are" is a saying that has been printed on many images. Authorship is uncertain. "If…

April 25, 2024
Food/Drink

“If you open a bag of Sun Chips at night, do they technically become Moon Chips?”

There are Sun Chips, but no Moon Chips. "Note to self: Sun Chips big hit. Action item: invent Moon Chips" was posted on X/Twitter by Jason K on May 11, 2009. "If you open a bag of…

November 27, 2017
Work/Businesses

“If you operate a drill press, you have a boring job”

A pun on "boring job" was posted on the newsgroup alt.humor.puns on September 23, 2000: "If you operate a drill press, you have a boring job. (Pun of the Day)" "Digging…

January 31, 2009
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“If you owe a bank thousands, you have a problem; owe a bank millions, the bank has a problem”

There's an old banking proverb: "If you owe the bank thousands (a small amount), then you have a problem. If you owe the bank millions (a large amount), then the bank has a problem."…

March 20, 2019
Work/Businesses

“If you pay for service by the hour, you buy hours and not service”

Some employers pay for a completed job, but others pay by the hour. "When you buy software development by the hour, what are you buying? Hours" was posted on Twitter by Brad Murphy on…

May 8, 2009
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys”

"if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys" means that if you pay a small amount ("peanuts"), you don't get very good workers ("monkeys"). "Peanuts" has long…

December 10, 2022
Food/Drink

“If you peel the sticker off a banana & put it on your shirt you get to be the Mayor of Bananatown”

A banana sticker (such as "Chiquita") is often found on the banana peel. Many people remove this sticker, despite the fact that the banana peel is not eaten. Then, they (especially young…

September 6, 2012
Food/Drink

“If you plant corn, you get corn” (proverb)

"If you plant corn, you get corn" is a proverb that means "you reap what you sow." The proverb is based on the New Testament's Galatians 6:7: "Be not deceived; God is…

September 8, 2015
Sports/Games

“If you play great on Friday nights, then you can play on Saturdays” (football adage)

American football has for many years consisted of high school football on Friday nights, college football on Saturdays, and professional NFL football on Sundays. Craig Thomas wrote on NCAA.com in…

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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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