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October 26, 2020
Food/Drink

“A banana is just a vegan sausage”

Bananas have been compared to sausages. "sausage = meat banana" was posted on Twitter by stephanie vacher on October 16, 2008. "I like to call sausages, meat bananas, it's makes…

August 6, 2021
Food/Drink

“A banana is just a vegetarian sausage”

Bananas have been compared to sausages. "sausage = meat banana" was posted on Twitter by stephanie vacher on October 16, 2008. "I like to call sausages, meat bananas, it's makes…

June 16, 2025
Food/Drink

“A banana is the ultimate survival food, because it comes in its own case, and when you’re done eating it you have a booby trap”

A saying about bananas was posted on Reddit -- Showerthoughts on December 30, 2020: "A banana is the ultimate survival food, because it comes in its own case, and when you're done eating…

September 7, 2025
Food/Drink

“A banana never goes bad, you’re just saving it for banana bread”

Old, almost rotting bananas are often used in banana bread. "My brain isn't rotting, I'm saving it for banana bread" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many images.…

January 16, 2014
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“A band has three years to write the first album and three weeks to write the follow-up”

The music industry has an adage that a recording artist has a whole lifetime (or 3, 5 or 10 years) to make a first album, but only a short time (months or weeks) to write the second album. Once the…

March 5, 2010
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it”

Entry in progress -- B.P. Google BooksThe Yale Book of QuotationsEdited by Fred R. ShapiroNew Haven, CT: Yale University Press2006Pg. 369:Bob Hope (Leslie Townes Hope)English-born U.S. comedian,…

October 14, 2010
Banking/Finance/Insurance

“A banker lends you an umbrella when the sun is shining and wants it back when it rains”

The humorous definition of a banker is of a man who lends you an umbrella when the sun is shining, but who wants the umbrella back the moment it starts raining. That is, a bank will lend you money…

September 11, 2018
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“A bar goes into a guy…” (bar joke)

"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." A different version is: "A bar goes into a guy. It was a gay bar." The joke was…

July 1, 2020
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“A bar walks into a commutative algebraist” (bar joke)

"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." A math version is: "A bar walks into a commutative algebraist" The joke was…

October 12, 2016
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“A bar walks into a man. Oops! Wrong frame of reference” (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 bar walks into a man. Oops! Wrong frame of reference."…

May 31, 2018
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“A bar was walked into by the passive voice” (bar joke)

"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." "A bar was walked into by the passive voice." The joke ("The bar was walked…

December 24, 2014
Food/Drink

“A bar without gin is like an Italian kitchen without pasta”

Gin is essential for a bar. "A bar without gin is like an Italian kitchen without pasta" is a saying that has been cited in print since at least 2002. It's not known who authored the…

October 25, 2012
Work/Businesses

“A bargain is something you don’t need at a price you can’t resist”

"A bargain is usually something you can't use at a price you can't resist" (or, in a later form, "A bargain is something you don't need at a price you can't…

March 19, 2012
Food/Drink

“A bartender is just a pharmacist with a limited inventory”

"A bartender is just a pharmacist with a limited inventory" is a saying that has been put on gift items such as bumper stickers and T-shirts since at least 1996. It's not known who…

July 22, 2021
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“A bartender 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 bartender anti-joke version is: "A bartender walks into a bar. He works there."…

December 18, 2020
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“A bartender’s job is to poison people”

A bartender's job is to "poison" people with alcohol. "As a bartender, Broken souls ask me for help. I poison people #haiku" was posted on Twitter by…

February 24, 2016
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“A baseball 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 baseball version is: "A baseball walks into a bar, and the bartender throws him…

June 20, 2015
Sports/Games

“A bass is a bass is a bass” (fishing adage)

"A bass is a bass is a bass" is a fishing adage that means a bass will behave and react the same, no matter what body of water that the fish is found in. "A bass is a bass no matter…

August 9, 2021
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“A bean bag is just a boneless sofa”

Bean bag chairs have been described as "boneless sofas," the description became popular in June/July 2017 and is of uncertain origin. "what fool called them beanbag chairs instead of…

February 9, 2015
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“A bear walks into a bar in Billings… (bar joke)

"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." "A bear walks into a bar in Burnaby/Billings/Butte" is a popular joke that has…

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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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