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Ben Franklin, The Three Stooges, and Ancient Rites of Printers - the Inky...
In the Three Stooges’ short, Violent is the Word for Curley (1938), the Stooges blow up a car carrying three professors to Mildew Academy; assume the professors’ identities; and teach a class to a room...
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Molly Malone, Molly Mogg and a Missing Link - the Fishy History and Origins...
Perhaps no song is more closely and fondly associated with Ireland than, Cockles and Mussels; the unofficial anthem of Dublin, which is also known as Molly Malone or In Dublin’s Fair City. The song...
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Put up your "Dukes" - a Punchy History and Etymology of "Dukes"
Put up your dukes!Early Use of “Dukes”Pugilists have been putting up “dukes” (hands) since at least 1859. The earliest known appearance of the word in print is in a Rogue’s Lexicon compiled by George...
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"Nine Yards" - "Cut from Whole Cloth" or "Too Long"? - a "Whole Nine Yards"...
Third Epistle to Edwin.Sir, - Your last “nine yards”would be unworthy of notice, as it commences with a falsehood and ends with a lie . . . . I will not attempt to follow you through your “nine...
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New York, London, Paris (but not Munich) - the Checkered History of Yellow Cabs
Image Courtesy of Coachbuilt.comNew York, London, Paris (but not Munich)– a Checkered History of Yellow CabsJohn Hertz – yes, that Hertz – is generally credited with establishing the yellow cab as a...
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Backseat Drivers and Tort Law - the Annoying History and Etymology of...
A “backseat driver” has been a common, yet persistent, minor annoyance since at least 1915:All the passengers wear their goggles and dusters and veils and most of them have a tough time of it besides,...
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Six Oxen, Eight Mules and Gambrinus - a Tipsy History of Budweiser's Clydesdales
Budweiser’s team of Clydesdale horses is arguably one of the most beloved and recognizable images in American pop-culture. Budweiser trots out the majestic beasts every Christmas and Super Bowl season...
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Homelessness, Hunger and Domestic Violence - the Serious History and Origin...
Pastry is the Soul of Wit. – “Pies,” J. P. McEvoy, 1919. A fat man sat on Mary’s Hat.The crowd just roared with glee.The movie pie that smites the eyeGets laughs from sea to sea.. ....
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Cotton Carts and Mardi Gras - a History and Etymology of Parade "Floats"
Cotton Carts and Mardi Gras– a History and Etymology of Parade “Floats”Why is a Parade Float Called a “Float”? New York City’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses Parade,...
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Charles Monk, Monkey Wrenches and a "Monkey on a Stick" - a Gripping History...
In Orson Welles’ classic film, Citizen Kane, a newsreel crew spends the entire film looking for the meaning of Kane’s dying word, Rosebud. The producer is hopefully optimistic; he muses, “it’ll...
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"Jazzed Up" National Anthems, Hats, Hearts, and a Wartime World Series - a...
“Jazzed Up” National Anthems, Hats, Hearts, and a Wartime World Series – a Big League History of National Anthem EtiquetteWhen the Chicago White Sox faced the New York Giants in the 1917 World Series,...
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Hobos, Gazabos, Tramps and "The Great Bozo!" - a Bozo Etymology Update
Hobos, Gazabos, Tramps and “The Great Bozo!” – A Bozo Etymology UpdateWriting on his website, World Wide Words, Michael Quinion postulated that the word bozo, meaning a stupid or silly person, may have...
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Mark Twain - MURDERER!!!
Mark Twain – MURDERER!Mark Twain may be the most famous American ever to be accused of murder (albeit briefly); all over an umbrella.On May 18, 1875 in Hartford, Connecticut, Mark Twain, and a record...
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Naval Observatories, Time Balls and Telegraphs - a History of New Year's Eve...
Happy New Year!!!!Naval Observatories, Time Balls and Telegraphs - a History of New Year's Eve Ball Drops In American pop-culture, no New Year’s Eve is complete without the New Year’s Eve Ball drop at...
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Gazip, Gazipe, Gazump - Variants of Gazabo?
“A gazump. . . is a thing that used to be an automobile, but now it is going to be a motorboat.”The Citizen(Berea, Kentucky), October 23, 1913, page 2; The Tensas Gazette (St. Joseph, Louisiana),...
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Teddy Roosevelt and his Bears - a Grizzly History and Etymology of "Teddy Bears"
In Dickens’ fictional drama, A Tale of Two Cities, innocent Brit, Sydney Carton, passes himself off as condemned Frenchman, Charles Darnay; thereby giving meaning to his own, empty life, by accepting...
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Bears, Bunnies, Blue and Lace - Teddy Roosevelt's Contributions to Playtime...
It is common knowledge that President Theodore Roosevelt had a stuffed animal named after him - the well-known, "Teddy Bear."It is less well known that his daughter, Alice Roosevelt, also had a stuffed...
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Hopping Stilts and Chorus Girls - a History and Etymology of "Pogo" Sticks
In American pop-culture, the idiom “jumping the shark” refers to the moment a TV show, or more generally any trend or practice, resorts to increasingly ridiculous gimmicks to get attention. The phrase...
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From Breeches to Trousers to Pantaloons - A Take-Charge History of "Wearing...
She Wears the Pants - YouTube ChannelShe Wears the Pants is a New Jersey cover band. Their lead singer, a woman, literally (and perhaps figuratively) wears pants in the band; not very controversial...
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The absolutely true and real history of Jonah and the "Whale" - and his...
According to Judaic and Christian tradition, the prophet Jonah was thrown overboard to calm the seas, was swallowed by a "great fish" (or whale), and then commanded to go to Nineveh to prophecy to its...
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