“(Liar, liar) Pants on fire”
The St. Petersburg (FL) Times originated in 2007 a website, Politifact.com, to check political facts. Statements are judged on a "Truth-O-Meter" with grades of True, Mostly True, Half…
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“Hey, hey! Ho, ho! (Person/thing) has got to go!” (protest chant)
"Hey, hey! Ho, ho! (Person/thing) has got to go!" has become a standard protest chant. In the early 1950s, it was a sports cheer, with the familiar "got to go" replaced by…
“Eating is an agricultural act”
"Eating is an agricultural act" is from Wendell Berry's essay, "The Pleasures of Eating," in his book, What Are People For? (1990). Many people aren't involved…
Nuke (to cook in a microwave oven)
A microwave oven makes some foods so hot so quickly that the microwaving has jokingly been called "nuking." The verb "nuke" meaning "to cook in a microwave oven" has…
“Kick the can (down the road)”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Kick the canKick the can (also known as Tip the can) is a children's game related to tag, hide and seek, and capture the flag which can be played outdoors,…
“Close enough for government work” (“Good enough for government work”)
"Government work" is often thought of as less efficient than private sector work, where there is no monopoly and the work must compete with others. "Close enough for government…
“Tax and spend”
'Tax and spend" comes from a 1938 statement by Works Progress Administration (WPA) Administrator Harry Hopkins (1890-1946) -- Hopkins always denied the statement -- declaring: "We…
“Socialism is the halfway house to communism”
"Socialism is the halfway house to communism" is a popular saying of disputed authorship. In the early 1930s, playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) said that fascism is the halfway…
Idiocracy (idiot + bureaucracy)
"Idiocracy" is a "bureaucracy" run by "idiots" (or "idiot" ideas). "Idiocracy" gained popularity when it was used as the title of a 2006 movie…
“It’s sick out there and getting sicker” (Bob Grant)
Talk radio host Bob Grant (1929-2013), in a long and pioneering talk show career, had shows on both WOR and WABC radio stations in New York City. "It's sick out there and getting…
“Always borrow money from a pessimist—he doesn’t expect to be paid back”
"Always borrow money from a pessimist -- he doesn't expect to be paid back" is a saying that has been printed (with slight wording variations) on T-shirts and bumper stickers. The…
Joe Citizen or John Citizen (Jane Citizen)
"Joe Citizen" or "John Citizen" (also "Jane Citizen") is a generic name for a citizen. "John Citizen" is cited in print since 1919 and "Joe…
Joe Taxpayer or John Taxpayer (Jane Taxpayer)
"Joe Taxpayer" or "John Taxpayer" (also "Jane Taxpayer") is a generic name for a citizen who pays taxes. "John Taxpayer" is cited in print since 1920 and…
S’more (Some-more)
"S'more" (or "some-more") is a popular Girl Scout dish of toasted marshmallows and chocolate sandwiches between two graham crackers. "Kabobs and Some-more, two…
OTM (Other Than Mexican)
The Border Patrol on the United States-Mexican border have called a (usually illegal) immigrant not from Mexico as an "OTM," or "Other Than Mexican." OTMs have usually been from…
“If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit”
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with B.S. (bullshit)" has been printed on signs and T-shirts since at least the early 1970s. James Boren (1925-2010) and his…
“You can’t con a con man”
"You can't con a con man/artist" is sometimes used in political arguments. The cynical premise is that all politicians are con men (or women), so that one can't easily con them.…
“You can’t BS a BSer” (“You can’t bullshit a bullshitter”)
"You can't BS a BSer" ("You can't bullshit a bullshitter") is sometimes used in political arguments. The cynical premise is that all politicians are BSers, so that one…
“People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do”
"Men/People may doubt what you say, but they will (always) believe what you do" means that actions count for more than just talk. The saying has been credited to American military officer…
“You only get paid for done”
"You (only) get paid for done" is a saying popularized by personal trainer and performance coach Dax Moy. "You only get paid for done" means that you get paid for results…