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March 23, 2013
Food/Drink

“A closed mouth doesn’t get fed”

"A closed mouth doesn't get fed" means that unless one open's one's mouth and communicates, one doesn't get "fed" information or answers. Similar sayings…

December 16, 2010
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“A closed mouth gathers no feet”

A politician can't suffer from "foot-in-mouth disease" (a gaffe) if he or she doesn't talk (have an "open mouth"). The proverb "a closed mouth gathers no…

November 22, 2013
Sports/Games

“A coach who listens to the fans ends up sitting with them”

An old saying in sports is that a coach or general manager "who listens to the fans ends up sitting with them." Fans are important, but the coach or general manager has the best knowledge…

July 29, 2020
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“A code walks into a bar…” (bar joke)

"A guy walks into a bar..." is a typical form of what has been called the "bar joke." There are several "progress bar" joke versions. "An IT guru walks into a bar…

April 8, 2017
Food/Drink

“A coffee a day keeps the grumpy away”

"A coffee a day keeps the grumpy away" is a jocular one-line coffee saying -- similar to "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" -- that has been printed on many images. The…

March 7, 2020
Food/Drink

“A coffee maker implies the existence of a coffee destroyer”

People are familiar with a coffee maker, but does it have an opposite? This was posted on Twitter by Michael 🌶 on September 20, 2018: "A coffee maker implies the existence of a coffee…

November 17, 2024
Work/Businesses

“A coffin? That’s the last thing I need!”

The expression "that's the last thing I'll need" usually means that the person has no need for that thing. Jokes about a coffin take the "last thing" literally.…

April 2, 2024
Food/DrinkRestaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores

“A Coke from a bottle, a can and McDonald’s are 3 different drinks”

"Coke from a can and Coke from a bottle are two different drinks" and "A Coke from a bottle, a can and McDonald’s are 3 different drinks" are soft drink sayings that have been…

January 18, 2021
Pets (Dogs, Cats, Horses)Work/Businesses

“A colleague from work has just texted saying he’s caught Covid from his cat. Don’t ask meow”

A COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic joke is that a cat got Covid-19, or that a cat gave Covid-19 to its owner. The punchline: "Don't ask meow." ("Don't ask me how.")…

June 8, 2015
Exercise/Running/Health Clubs

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there”

"A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there" is a motivational saying that has been printed on many posters. The saying has been cited on Twitter since April 21,…

November 10, 2015
Music/Dance/Theatre/Film/Circus

“A comic says funny things; a comedian says things funny”

"A comic says funny things; a comedian says things funny" is an entertainment adage. "A good comedian can say things funny and other guys just say funny things" was credited in…

March 31, 2025
Education/Schools

“A comma date is a romantic activity between two punctuation marks”

A riddle was posted on Reddit -- Dadjokes on March 16, 2025: "What do you call two punctuation marks having dinner? Accommodate." "Accommodate" sounds like "a comma…

January 27, 2026
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“A comma, a period and an exclamation mark were called into court. They were being sentenced”

A "sentence" in English composition is not the same as a court "sentencing," but there are jokes. "8 vowels, 11 consonants, an exclamation mark and a comma appeared in…

December 21, 2010
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“A committee is a body that keeps minutes and wastes hours”

"A committee is a body that keeps minutes and wastes hours" is an old joke that plays upon the word "minutes" (a written record and a unit of time). The joke first appeared in…

April 1, 2012
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“A committee is a group of the unwilling, chosen from the unfit, to do the unnecessary”

“A committee is a group of the unwilling, appointed by the unfit, to do the unnecessary" is a joke about committees that has been cited in print since at least 1952. The words…

October 11, 2016
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“A committee is a life form with six or more legs and no brain”

American science-fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein wrote in Time Enough for Love: The Lives of Lazarus Long (1973): "A committee is a life form with six or more legs and no brain." The…

October 11, 2016
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“A committee is twelve people doing the work of one”

Arthur Bloch's Murphy's Law Book Three: Wrong Reasons Why Things Go More! (1982) included: "Kennedy's Comment on CommitteesA committee is twelve people doing the work of…

January 3, 2026
Radio/Television

“A company using fake cream has to label it ‘Kreme.’ Fake cheese has to be spelled ‘Cheez.’ Why don’t they make Fox call it ‘Nooz’?”

"A company using fake cream has to label it 'Kreme.' Fake cheese has to be spelled 'Cheez.' Why don’t they make Fox call it 'Nooz'?" is a saying that has…

July 24, 2019
Work/Businesses

“A compliment is verbal sunshine”

"A compliment is verbal sunshine" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying has been credited to American professional comedy writer Robert Orben since at least 1988,…

October 30, 2012
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

“A compromise is a deal in which two people get what neither of them wanted”

"A compromise is a deal in which two people get what neither of them wanted" is a jocular statement showing that a compromise makes neither party totally happy. "A compromise is an…

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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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