Aren’t Ready for the Marines Yet (“army” backronym)
"Aren't Ready for the Marines Yet" (sometimes also "Aren't Ready to be Marines Yet" and "Aren't Really Marines Yet") is a backronym (back acronym) for…
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“When my ship comes in, I’ll be at the airport”
"When my ship comes in" is an idiom meaning "when my fortune arrives." People who have bad luck (and who doubt that their ship ever will come in) have added an extra ending to…
Butt Fumble (2012 NY Jets football fumble)
The New York Jets lost to the New England Patriots on November 22, 2012, by the score of 49-19. The lowlight of the game for the Jets came when quarterback Mark Sanchez ran into the rear end of…
The Fumble or Miracle at the Meadowlands (1978 Giants fumble)
The New York Giants were leading the Philadelphia Eagles, 17-12, and all Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik had to do was down the ball one last time to end the game. He tried to hand the ball off to…
Pizza Phone (hotel phone button to order pizza)
"My hotel phone has a button just for pizza" was a post on reddit in August 2013; the hotel was Country Inns & Suites (Niagara Falls, Ontario). The Huffington Post headline declared…
Sept-taper or Septaper (September + taper)
The stock market had all eyes on the Federal Reserve in 2013, speculating when its quantitative easing program -- involving as much as $85 billion a month -- would lessen or "taper." The…
Greekovery (Greek + recovery)
"Grexit" (Greece/Greek + exit) was a popular term in 2012, when it was feared that a poor Greek economy would force the nation to exit the euro zone. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras…
“If you sleep with the elephants, you can’t cover the circus” (journalism adage)
"If you sleep with the elephants, you can't cover the circus" has developed into a newspaper adage. In 1977, it was discovered that New York (NY) Times writer Laura Foreman had been…
“If there is a question in a headline, the answer is always no” (journalism adage)
Newspaper headlines sometime ask a question, and the answer to that question is usually "no." If the answer is "yes," then it's a fact and there would be no reason to ask a…
“Four things put a man beside himself—women, tobacco, cards, and wine”
"Four things put a man beside himself -- women, tobacco, cards, and wine" is an old Spanish proverb, cited in print since at least 1726. A variant of this proverb replaces…
“If it grows together, it goes together” (food and wine adage)
"It it grows together, it goes together" is a philosophy or wine and food pairings. Food and wine from a certain region (and from a certain season) should be served together, according to…
“If it doesn’t look good, don’t put it on your front porch”
"If it doesn't look good, don't put it on the/your front porch" appears to be a real estate adage (make your house look the best), but is usually a Southern mother's advice…
“We win as a team and we lose as a team” (teamwork adage)
"We win as a team and we lose as a team" is a teamwork adage that has been said by many players and coaches in many team sports. "We win as a team and lose as one" was said in…
“I’ll be here all week. Try the veal.” (stand-up comedian joke)
"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, you've been a wonderful audience. I'll be here all week. Try the veal. And don't forget to tip your servers" is a classic line that a…
“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it”
"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it" is something someone might say to another to get that person to try a new product. "Don't knock it 'til you've…
“A bubble is a bull market in which you don’t have a position”
Dominic Frisby, of MoneyWeek, wrote in November 2009: "One of my definitions of a bubble is 'a bull market in which you don't have a position'. How many of those that say gold…
“There’s no place like home” (“Home, Sweet Home”)
"There's no place like home!" is one of the most famous of all American expressions. John Howard Payne (1791-1852) wrote these lyrics for "Home, Sweet Home" in the opera…
“Safe as houses”
The term "safe as houses" was popularized in England in the 1850s. "Safe" means a sure an secure investment; a person who buys a house is not speculating and has a solid…
“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”
"Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" (or "Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard") is a popular sports saying that has been printed on many…
Micro-bakery
A "micro-bakery" (or "microbakery") is a small bakery that usually specializes in a small variety of products. Often the "micro-bakery" is the oven of someone's…