Coney Island Butter (mustard)
"Coney Island butter" is another term for "mustard," a condiment used on the popular Coney Island hot dogs. There is only one known print citation for "Coney Island…
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“Alcohol is a good preservative for everything but brains”
"ALCOHOL A liquid good for preserving almost everything except secrets" is a definition in the book The Foolish Dictionary... (1904), written by "Gideon Wurdz" (Charles Wayland…
“The noblest of all dogs is the hot dog; it feeds the hand that bites it”
"The noblest of all dogs is the hot dog; it feeds the hand that bites it" is a one-line joke that has been printed on several gift items, such as posters and T-shirts. ""The hot…
“Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise”
"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" was published in the 1735 edition of the Poor Richard's Almanack, by Benjamin Franklin. "Early to bed,…
“Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status”
"Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status" is a one-line saying from educator and business author Laurence J. Peter (1919-1990). Peter…
“An economist is a man who knows tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn’t happen today”
"An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today" is a jocular one-line saying that has been credited to Kirk Kirkpatrick…
“The murals in restaurants are on a par with the food in museums”
"The murals in restaurants are on a par with the food in museums" is a saying from American novelist Peter De Vries (1910-1993). "I do not know whether the retaliation is intentional…
“Thinking isn’t to agree or disagree—that’s voting”
American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) told WQED, as reported in Collier's Illustrated Weekly in 1956: "People have got to think. Thinking isn't to agree or disagree. That's…
“Life is just a bowl of cherries”
The expression "a bowl of cherries" means something wonderful and delicious. The song "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" (1931) popularized the term. American humorist Erma…
“Get your popcorn ready” (prepare to watch something exciting)
Popcorn began to be popularly served at movie theaters in the 1940s. "Get your popcorn ready" was used in newspaper advertisements for cable television (where cable subscribers could…
“Alcohol doesn’t solve any problems…but then again, neither does milk”
"Alcohol doesn't solve any problems...but then again, neither does milk" is a jocular one-line saying, often included on websites in a group titled "Dilbert One Liners."…
Great Disorder
The term "Great Disorder" has been cited in print since at least 1974 to describe China's Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Mao Zedong (1893-1976) sought to create "the great…
“If you don’t read a newspaper, you’re uninformed; if you do read one, you’re misinformed”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikiquote: Mark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, novelist, writer,…
“Exercise is bunk—if you are healthy, you don’t need it”
The automaker Henry Ford (1863-1947) said "history is more or less bunk" in a 1916 newspaper interview. Ford is also usually credited with saying, "Exercise is bunk. If you are…
“A girl was knocking on my hotel room door all night. Finally, I had to let her out”
New York comedian Henny Youngman (1906-1998), known as the king of the one-line joke, stayed at a lot of hotels. "A girl was knocking on my hotel room door all night. Finally, I had to let her…
“What part of the chicken is the nugget/croquette/popcorn?”
"What part of the chicken is the nugget/croquette/popcorn?" is the standard joke told about some chicken offerings at restaurants. "Chicken croquettes, eh? I say, waiter, what part…
“This is an elegant hotel—room service has an unlisted number”
"This is an elegant hotel -- room service has an unlisted number" is an old joke about hotel service. It was first said about the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in 1956: "The…
“If you educate a woman, you educate a nation”
"If you educate a woman, you educate a family/nation" is a much-cited education adage that has been credited to many people. Catherine Esther Beecher (1800-1878), an American educator,…
“‘Evian’ spelled backwards is ‘naive’”
Evian is a brand of mineral water from the French Alps (near Évian-les-Bain) that was introduced to the Untied States market in 1978. Evian quickly became popular with celebrities and the rich,…
“When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty” (‘When injustice is law, rebellion is duty”)
"When injustice is/becomes law, resistance is/becomes duty" has been credited to such famous figures as Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) and Nelson Mandela, but there's no evidence that…