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September 17, 2022
Transportation

“95% of electric vehicles are still on the road. The remaining 5% made it all the way home”

"95% of electric vehicles are still on the road. The remaining 5% made it all the way home" is a joke that has been printed on several images. The speaker believes that electric cars…

May 6, 2026
Food/DrinkRestaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“97” or “Ninety-seven” (vegetable soup)

Newspapers.com 10 August 1941, Atlanta (GA) Constitution, "The Code that Speeds Soda Fountain Service" by Yolande Gwin, Magazine, sec. D, pg. 5, col. 7: Vegetable soup, termed as…

May 6, 2026
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“98” or “Ninety-eight” (assistant manager)

Newspapers.com 9 February 1930, Tampa (FL) Sunday Tribune, "Soda Jerkers Here Talk in Language Hard to Understand," pt. 4, pg. 6, col. 2: 98 -- Here comes the assistant manager.…

May 28, 2015
Media/Newspapers/Magazines/Internet

“99 little bugs in the code” (programming joke)

The song "99 Bottles of Beer" goes: 99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer.Take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall... A computer version that has been…

April 6, 2020
Education/Schools

“99.9% of people are idiots. Fortunately I belong to the 1% of intelligent people”

"99.9% of people are idiots. Fortunately I belong to the 1% of intelligent people" is a joke that was posted on Reddit -- Jokes on November 19, 2014. The speaker is not intelligent --…

May 6, 2026
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“99” or “Ninety-nine” (an exceptionally pretty girl has arrived)

Newspapers.com 8 April 1939, Sheboygan (WI) Press, "What Is Your Number?," pg. 14, col. 2: 99 -- An exceptionally pretty girl has arrived.

May 6, 2026
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“99” or “ninety-nine” (manager)

Newspapers.com 9 February 1930, Tampa (FL) Sunday Tribune, "Soda Jerkers Here Talk in Language Hard to Understand," pt. 4, pg. 6, col. 2: 99 -- Here's the manager. Newspapers.com 29…

June 6, 2022
Food/Drink

“99% of my personality is just coffee and I’m OK with that”

"As it turns out, 93% of my personality was (just) coffee" is a coffee saying that has been printed on many images. “@Gregospeck: I have discovered that 92% of my personality is…

September 28, 2025
Pets (Dogs, Cats, Horses)

“A pet resting their little paw on you is a sign of respect in their culture”

A saying about pets was posted on X/Twitter by erika on September 7, 2025, and this received over 155,000 likes: "a pet resting their little paw on you is a sign of respect in their…

February 23, 2026
Names/PhrasesPets (Dogs, Cats, Horses)

“A ‘foible’ is something coughed up by cats in New York”

"Furball" can sound like "foible" in a New York City accent. "Foible - what a New York cat does from time to time" was posted on the newsgroup rec.juggling on…

June 6, 2022
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“A ‘conspiracy theorist’ is someone who figures out the truth before most people”

An image has been cited in print since at least May 28, 2022: DAUGHTER: "Mom, what's a conspiracy theorist?"MOTHER: "Somebody who figures out the truth before most people,…

October 26, 2015
Sports/Games

“A $300 bat won’t fix your 50 cent swing” (baseball adage)

Baseball bats can be expensive, but an expensive bat doesn't automatically turn a player into a good hitter. "A $300 bat won't fix your 50 cent swing" is a baseball adage of…

November 1, 2017
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“A 20 Hz sine wave walks into a bar…” (bar joke)

"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." A physics version is: "A time-stretched sinusoid walks into a bar. The bartender asks,…

May 26, 2023
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“A 350 credit score prevents identity theft”

"A 350 credit score prevents identity theft" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many images. A 350 credit score is very poor, and something no one would want to steal.…

March 4, 2025
Work/Businesses

“A 57,000 square foot Temu warehouse in China went up in flames today. The total loss of inventory has been estimated to be as high as $56.19 USD”

Temu is an online marketplace, known for cheap goods from China. How cheap? A joke was posted on X/Twitter by Will Lyster on December 28, 2024: "A 57,000 square foot Temu warehouse in China…

February 17, 2016
Food/Drink

“A baby can drink a bottle, fall asleep and people say it’s cute. If I do it. I’m an alcoholic”

"A baby drinks a bottle and falls asleep and it's totally fine. I drink a bottle and fall asleep and I'm an alcoholic. Totally unfair" is a jocular saying that has been printed…

February 17, 2016
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“A baby seal walks into a bar…” (bar joke)

"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." A popular seal joke is: "A baby seal walks into a bar. The bartender says,…

June 29, 2016
Media/Newspapers/Magazines/Internet

“A backward poet writes inverse”

"A backward(s) poet writes inverse" is a pun that has been printed on many T-shirts and GIFs. Authorship of the joke is unknown, but the one-liner has been cited in print since at least…

March 12, 2012
Food/Drink

“A backyard barbecue draws two things ... flies and relatives”

"A backyard barbecue draws two things...flies and relatives" was popularized by a list of "Truisms" that has been on the Internet since 2003. The saying has been put on…

July 31, 2022
Food/Drink

“A bacon a day keeps the vegans away”

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is a famous saying. Several sayings expressing what keeps vegans away have been printed on several images. "A rib a day keeps the vegans…

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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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