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“A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money” This phrase about government expenditures has become a classic, but who said it first, and when? Everett Dirksen…
"No good deed goes unpunished" is a humorous reverse of the classical "No good deed goes unrewarded. No bad deed goes unpunished." Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987) is often…
"In the red" means that a business entity is experiencing losses; "in the black" means profits or gains. Accounting ledgers used red ink and black ink for accounting entries.…
"Soup and fish" was a traditional first course in the formal dinners of the 19th century. "Soup and fish" (also "soup-and-fish") also became a nickname for a…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Google BooksSeptember 1897, The Home Furnishing Review, pg. 367, col. 1:The free translation (from German -- ed.) of still another is: Beer on wine,Nit!Wine on beer,It!!…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Google BooksCase Studies in Health CommunicationBy Eileen Berlin RayNew York, NY: Routledge1993Pg. 169:In this regard they used stock sayings that many seemed to know,…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Sazerac (cocktail)The Sazerac is one of the oldest known cocktails, with its origins in pre-Civil War New Orleans, Louisiana. The original drink is based on a…
"As American as apple pie" is a popular phrase today, even though apple pies came from Europe and the pies aren't as popular in America as they once were. Although "apple…
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy" is one of the most famous of modern drinking quips. But who said it first? The musician Tom Waits said the line on…
"The show must go on" originally meant for the circus or a theatrical performance, despite all difficulties, the show must be performed as scheduled. The expression soon applied to any…
A cigar was traditionally one of the rewards at carnivals for winning at games of skill or chance. Coney Island offered many such games in the early 1900s. Most people did not win a prize; for…
New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel (1890-1975) was known for his colorful quotations given to the baseball press. After the Yankees clinched the 1958 American League pennant, Stengel remarked:…
"I've been rich and I've been poor. Rich is better." This insightful bit of personal financial wisdom has been credited to entertainer Sophie Tucker, comedian Joe E. Lewis,…
The simple breakfast plate of ham and eggs (or bacon and eggs) has become the motivational story of "The Chicken and the Pig." Both the chicken and the pig look on at a family eating…
"Desserts" is "stressed" spelled backward. While this always has been the case, this headline in the Los Angeles (CA) Times food section on July 30, 1992 helped to popularize…
"Please" is a nice way to ask for something. By at least the 1880s, children were begging their parents with "pretty please." “Pretty please, with sugar on it" was cited…
"Wild and woolly" (often spelled "wild and wooly," but almost never in the reverse as "woolly and wild") often describes an animal, but was used to describe cowboys…
"Wild West" (often written as "wild west" and "wild West") has been a popular nickname for the far west region of America since at least 1823. The term was so common…
"Liar's Ball" is the nickname for the Real Estate Board of New York's annual banquet, held since the 1890s. Members of the real estate industry puff up their sales to colleagues…
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has called his borough the "Republic of Brooklyn" since at least 2007, and with increasing use in 2008. Brooklyn is New York City's most…