You’ve probably heard this old saying used by observers of Congress, state legislatures, and other government bodies: “Laws are like sausages. It’s better not to see them being made.” It’s…
The Tom Lehrer quip: “Life is like a sewer”
Satirist, songwriter, pianist, and mathematician Tom Lehrer (1928–2025) came up with one of the less inspirational—and funnier—variations on the familiar “Life is like…” formula: In his spoken introduction to his…
“Have Gun – Will Travel” lives on as a linguistic “snowclone” and in reruns…
Today, the linguistic formula “Have X [some work tool] – Will Y [do something]” is firmly cemented into our language. Prior to the 1950s, it wasn’t. On September 14,…
“You have the right to remain silent.”
Even if you’ve never been arrested, you almost certainly know the first line of the warning police officers are supposed to recite when they arrest someone. It’s been spoken in…
Reports of Mark Twain’s quip about his death are greatly misquoted…
In May 1897, the great American humorist, novelist and social critic Samuel Clemens — best known by his pen name, Mark Twain — was in London. It was one of…
The story behind the famous movie misquote: “Me Tarzan, you Jane.”
On March 25, 1932, the classic film Tarzan the Ape Man, starring former Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, premiered in New York City. The famous movie misquote associated with…