“Never hook with a hooker” (boxing adage)
"Don't/Never hook with a hooker" is a boxing adage. The origin of the expression is unknown, but it was applied at the "Fight of the Century" between Muhammad Ali and Joe…
“Never judge a pitch until both sides have batted on it” (cricket adage)
"Don't/Never judge a pitch until both sides have batted on it" is a cricket adage of unknown authorship. It's possible that it's the players (and not the pitch) that are…
“Never make the first or last out at third base” (baseball adage)
"Never make the first or last out at third base" is a baseball adage. A player sometimes has the option of stopping safely at second base or trying to reach third base. A player on second…
“Never meet a champion for the first time in the winner’s circle”
“We will never meet a champion for the first time on the podium" is a slogan of Scott Russell of CBC Sports (Canada). Russell explained in April 2012: "We'll never meet a champion…
“Never play hide and seek with mountain ranges because they peak”
In the game of hide and seek, the seeker is not supposed to peek and see where others are hiding. A riddle was posted on Twitter by Helen Bullock on November 14, 2012: Q: Why can't you play…
“Never play leapfrog with a unicorn”
"Leapfrog" (or "leap frog") is a children's game where one player jumps over another's stooped back. The game has been played on playgrounds for hundreds of years.…
“Never play pool with a guy named Fats”
Nelson Algren (1909-1981) wrote about this advice in A Walk on the Wild Side (1956): "Never eat at a place called Mom's. Never play cards with a man named Doc. And never lay down with a…
“Never play tennis with a cymbal. It makes a terrible racket”
"I've just seen a kid playing tennis with a cymbal. Terrible racket" is a pun that was posted on Twitter by Marty Lawrence on October 18, 2013. "Racket" can mean…
“Never play Uno with a Mexican. They take all the green cards”
A joke about the card game Uno has been printed on many images: Q: Why can't you play Uno with a Mexican?A: They steal all the green cards. The politically incorrect joke was posted on Twitter…
“Never realized until today that Karl Marx’s sister, Onya, invented the starting pistol”
German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist and political theorist Karl Marx (1818-1883) did not have a sister called "Onya Marx" ("on your marks," as said at the…
“Never underestimate my desire at any given moment to go home”
"Never underestimate my desire at any given moment to go home" is a saying that has been printed on many images. Many people are introverts and do not like parties or meetings. This…
“Never underestimate my desire to go home”
"Never underestimate my desire at any given moment to go home" is a saying that has been printed on many images. Many people are introverts and do not like parties or meetings. This…
“Never walk the leadoff hitter” (baseball adage)
"Never walk the leadoff hitter/man" is an old baseball adage. You don't give the batter a free pass to first base -- rather, throw a strike and give the fielders an opportunity to…
“New York point guards will give up their grandmother before their dribble” (basketball adage)
New York City point guards having a reputation for being excellent dribblers in street basketball games, but some observers complain that the point guards seemingly don't know how to pass the…
“Next man up”
Entry in progress -- B.P. OCLC WorldCat recordNext man up : a year behind the lines in today's NFLAuthor: John FeinsteinPublisher: New York : Little, Brown and Co., ©2005.Edition/Format: Book…
“Nice guys finish last”
"Nice guys finish last" was the title of Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher's article in the April 1948 Cosmopolitan and also the title of his 1975 autobiography. The Brooklyn…
“No cheering in the press box” (sports journalism adage)
New York (NY) Times sportswriter Arthur Daley wrote in September 1950: "Perhaps there is something to the ancient but stern admonition: 'No cheering in the press box, please.'"…
“No game was ever won by resigning” (chess adage)
"No game was ever won by resigning" (or, "You can't win by resigning") is a chess adage that is usually credited to the chess grandmaster and journalist Savielly Tartakower…
“No grass stains, no glory; no bruises, no story” (soccer, softball adage)
"No guts, no glory" is a saying that was used in World War II. "No grass stains, no glory; No bruises, no story" is a sports saying popular in both soccer and baseball/softball…
“No harm, no foul” (“No blood, no foul”)
"No harm, no foul," in the game of basketball, means that a referee will ignore minor infractions off the ball, allowing rough contact between the players but keeping the game continuing…