“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens”
American poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809=1894) wrote in The Poet at the Breakfast-Table (1872): "It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to…
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“There is only one fruitcake—it just keeps getting sent around”
Americans send each other fruitcake over the Christmas holiday season, but does anyone ever eat it? In 1978, American humorist and food writer Calvin Trillin said that someone in Denver once told…
“The best way to cook fish is to have a slow waiter walk it through a hot kitchen”
Some diners insist that food not be overly cooked. There is an old saying that the best way to cook fish (or meat) is to put it in a plate and have a slow waiter walk it through a hot kitchen. The…
Gingerbread House (Bay Ridge, Brooklyn)
The "Gingerbread House" (also called the "Hansel and Gretel Cottage" or "House of the Seven Dwarfs"), at 8220 Narrows Avenue and 83rd Street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn,…
“The shortest book in the world is called ‘Great Jewish Sports Heroes’”
Jewish people, allegedly, are not good at sports. A popular Jewish joke is: Q: What's the world's thinnest book? A: "Great Jewish Athletes." The joke has been cited since at…
Crowler (can + growler)
A "growler" is a term for a pail of beer, made popular in New York City bars in the 1880s. A young person would be sent to "rush the growler" (that is, bring home some beer).…
Billennial (bilingual + millennial)
"Billennial" (bilingual + millennial) was popularized by Univision on July 31, 2014. The term usually refers to a Hispanic bilingual millennial (someone born between the early 1980s and…
Hispennial (Hispanic + millennial)
"Hispennial" (Hispanic + millennial) means a person born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s who speaks Spanish. The term was cited on Twitter on July 30, 2013.…
“Teenagers drive like they’re going to die: elders drive like they have all the time in the world”
"Teenagers drive like they have limited time & old people drive like they have all the time in the world" is a jocular saying that was on Reddit's "Shower Thoughts" in…
“Your stomach thinks all potato is mashed”
"Your stomach thinks all potato is mashed" appeared on Reddit's "Shower Thoughts" on October 28 2013. It has been included as one of the top "Shower Thoughts,"…
“You ain’t no Muslim, bruv”
Three people were stabbed inside the Leytonstone tube station (UK) in the evening of December 5, 2015. The attacker shouted "This is for Syria," referring to the Royal Air Force's…
“How did they measure hail before the golf ball was invented?”
"How did they measure hail before the golf ball was invented?" asks an old joke, cited in print since at least 1970. Hail is often described to come down in golf balls, but before that…
“What do snowmen eat for breakfast?”/“Frosted Flakes.”
A popular winter joke for children is: Q: What do snowmen eat for breakfast? / Q: What is Frosty the Snowman's favorite cereal?A> Frosted Flakes. The joke has been cited in print since at…
“What did the gingerbread man put on his bed?”/“A cookie sheet.”
A popular winter joke for children is: Q: What did the Gingerbread Man put on his bed?A: A cookie sheet. The joke has been cited in print since at least 1998. Google BooksBest Riddle Book EverBy…
“Where do snowmen keep their money?”/“In snow banks.”
A popular winter joke for children is: Q: Where do Eskimos/snowmen keep their money?A: In snow banks. Versions of the joke have been cited in print since at least 1958. Google BooksDecember 1958,…
Hanukkah Gelt
Jewish children celebrating Hanukkah or Chanukah (the Festival of Lights) traditionally have received "Hanukkah gelt" (money), which the children would spend on candies or on a charitable…
Philanthrocapitalism (philanthropy + capitalism); Philanthrocapitalist
Entry in progress -- B.P. The EconomistThe birth of philanthrocapitalismThe leading new philanthropists see themselves as social investorsFeb 23rd 2006(...)The phrase most often used to describe…
“Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian; sitting in a garage doesn’t make you a car”
WIlliam Ashley "Billy Sunday (1862-1935) was a baseball player who became a popular American evangelist in the early 1900s. He said at least as early as 1905: "Going to church won't…
“I asked the bellhop to handle my bag. He felt up my wife!”
New York-based comedian Rodney Dangerfield (1921-2004) is frequently credited for this joke: "One time I went to a hotel. I asked the bellhop to handle my bag. He felt up my wife!" The…
“He’s so dumb, he stayed up all night studying for a urine test”
It's an old joke that a person is so dumb, "he/she stayed up all night studying for a urine test." The joke has been cited in print since at least 1968, when it was a Polish joke.…