Bulb Belt (Broadway)
Broadway's bright lights gave it the nickname "Bulb Belt." "No-bulb belt" (Off-Broadway) was cited in print in 1928. Broadway columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) used…
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“Swallow the whistle” (not call a penalty)
Sports referees do, on occasion, swallow their whistles, but the term "swallowed his/her whistle" is an idiom that means a referee is not going to blow the whistle to call infractions.…
“The Stanley Cup is the toughest championship to win”
"The Stanley Cup is the toughest championship to win in team sports" was cited in print in 1993. The Stanley Cup (hockey's championship trophy series) is said to be more difficult…
Glance Journalism
The Apple watch was released in April 2015 and provided at-a-glance headlines and brief news stories. Sportswriter Dan Shanoff wrote in September 2014: "And yet even that notification layer…
Make-or-Miss League (NBA basketball)
The National Basketball Association has been called a "make-or-miss league." That means that players will get their shots, and the better players and teams make them more than miss them.…
Islosers (Islanders + losers)
The New York Islanders hockey team is sometimes called the "Islosers" (Islanders + losers) by Islanders haters, such as fans of the rival New York Rangers. "Islosers" has been…
“The engineer sees the glass as twice the size it needs to be” (joke)
A popular engineering joke is: The optimist sees a glass that's half full.The pessimist sees a glass that's half empty.An engineer sees a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be!…
Great Unravelling
"The Great Unravelling" is when the financial markets unwind, often with an event such as a crash. American economist and New York (NY) Times columnist Paul Krugman popularized the term…
“When does it rain money?”/“Whenever there’s some change in the weather.”
A popular weather joke is: Q: When does it rain money? A: Whenever there's some change in the weather. "When is it likely to rain money?" was cited in print in 1940. "When does…
“It rains on rich and poor alike, but the rich have better umbrellas”
"He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" is from the New Testament, Matthew 5:45. "The rain falls on the just and the…
“The fourth win in a series is always the most difficult to get”
It requires four victories for a team to win a best-of-seven-games playoff series. It's often said that the fourth win is the hardest to get. "The fourth one is the toughest to win"…
“The best pitch is strike one” (baseball adage)
What's the best pitch in baseball? A fastball? A slider? A curve? "That's easy. The best pitch is a strike," said New York Giants manager Leo Durocher (1905-1991) in 1953.…
“I’d rather be lucky than good”
"I'd rather be lucky than good" is a popular sports saying. "It is better to be born lucky than good-looking" is a somewhat similar saying that was popular in the late 19th…
“Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal”
"Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal" is a motivational saying that has been printed on many posters. "Obstacles are those frightful things you see…
“Try and fail, but don’t fail to try”
"Try and fail, but don't fail to try" is a motivational saying that has been printed on many posters. "Is it not better to try and fail than to fail without trying?" was…
“The difference between a rut and a grave is the depth”
"The difference between a rut and a grave is the depth" is a saying that has been printed on many posters. Brooklyn clergyman S, Parkes Cadman (1864-1936) said in 1902: "He (Cadman…
Hack-a-Player or Hack-a-Shaq (basketball foul strategy)
Shaquille O'Neal was a powerful force in the NBA when he got the basketball near the basket, but he was only a .527 career free throw shooter. Teams tried a "hack-a-Shaq" strategy --…
“Nothing to it, but to do it”
"Nothing to it, but to do it" means that a task can be done, but requires dedication. "Nothing to it but to do it" has been cited in print at least as early as 1907.…
“Tomorrow doesn’t care what today’s food tasted like”
"Tomorrow doesn't care what today's food tasted like" is a saying of unknown origin that has been cited in print since at least 2008. For example, to a person working out in the…
“You can’t push yourself forward by patting yourself on the back”
“You can’t push yourself forward by patting yourself on the back" is a motivational saying that has been cited in print since at least 1921. Authorship is unknown. "You cannot propel…