Fender Bender (minor automobile accident)
A "fender bender" is a minor traffic accident (such as small damage to a fender). "Fender Bender" has been cited in print since at least 1922, when it referred to an auto…
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Fedbug (federal government + bug/bedbug)
"Fedcoats, Fedbugs, Fedbloats, and Usuperistas" was a post by Becky Akers on The LewRockwell.com Blog on January 23. 2013. Akers was looking for a “term to describe all federal…
Bike Salmon
"Bike salmon" are cyclists who "swim upstream" (like salmon) by going the wrong way on a one-way street. "Bike salmon" also refers to riders who go the wrong way on…
Gutter Bunny (bicycle commuter)
A bicycling commuter has been called a "gutter bunny" since at least 1995. The term is a jocularly derisive expression that was first popular with mountain bikers, but is now in common…
“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook”
"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook" is a much-cited food quotation that has been attributed to television chef Julia Child (1912-2004). The…
“Look, ma, no hands!” (riding phrase)
"Look. ma, no hands!" is what a child says to his mother about his trick bicycle-riding skills. The mother, however, is often horrified for the safety of the child. The saying has been…
Battle of the Boroughs (between New York City sports teams)
There is a "Battle of the Boroughs" when one borough challenges another borough in a competition. "Battle of the Boroughs" usually refers to a competition with at least one of…
“Information is power, but like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves”
"Information is power" is a saying that has been cited in print to at least 1902. Internet activist Aaron Swartz (1986-2013) wrote a Guerrilla Open Access Manifesto in July 2008 that…
“People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health”
American author and farmer Wendell Berry wrote in Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community: Eight Essays (1993): "There is no connection between food and health. People are fed by the food…
“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, you’ll be successful”
"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, you'll be successful" is a saying that has appeared on many posters and has been popularzed by Eric Thomas, author of The…
“If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Google BooksChoose the Life: Exploring a Faith that Embraces DiscipleshipBy Bill HullGrand Rapids, MI: Baker Books2004Pg. 107:As the African proverb tells us, “If you…
“What are you doing for others?”
American clergyman and activist Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) wrote in the book Strength to Love (1963): "Light has come into the world, and every man must decide whether he will walk in…
“Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living”
"Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living" is usually credited to physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955), but this form of the saying seems to have been cited in print…
“Customer service is not a department, it’s an attitude”
"Customer service is not a department, it’s an attitude" (also ""Customer service is not a department, it’s a philosophy" and "Customer service is not a…
“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile”
Going "the extra mile" is business means not cutting corners to save money or time, but giving extra service to a customer to provide satisfaction. "The 'extra mile' will…
“Good intentions don’t move mountains, bulldozers do”
"There is an old saying that good intentions don't move mountains; bulldozers do," wrote management author Peter F. Drucker (1909-2005) in Managing the Non-Profit Organization:…
“Vehicle insured by Smith & Wesson” (bumper sticker)
Smith & Wesson is a firearms manufacturer. A popular bumper sticker is "This Car/Vehicle Is Insured By Smith & Wesson" -- that is, the driver carries a Smith & Wesson firearm…
“All the gold in Fort Knox” (a large sum of money or riches)
The United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky, received its first gold shipments in 1937. The expression "all the gold in Fort Knox" (meaning riches worth an immense sum)…
“The mail must go through” (postal service adage)
"The mail must go through" is a phrase that exemplifies the hardships and successes of 19th century mail carriers, such as the pony express (1860-61). The saying was popularized by…
“A house is not a home without a dog”
"A hosue is not a home without a dog" is a saying that has been printed on many gift items, such as signs, plaques and mugs. The saying has been cited in print since at least 1968. 30…