D Is For Doughnuts, Darn It

April 5, 2016May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 46 Comments

I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts

… is a saying dating from 1904. It means you are so confident about what you know that you’re willing to bet on it. That is, a dollar has more value than a doughnut, so you are willing to give long odds, knowing that you’re going to win.

On the surface this saying has nothing to do with doughnuts, per se. In fact, some 1880s versions of this saying were “dollars to buttons” or “dollars to dumplings.”

There was even a “dollars to cobwebs” version of this saying. Shocking that it didn’t catch on, eh?

But being of a contrary mind, I have to wonder if the fact that doughnuts look like little zeros contributed to the popularity, and subsequent staying power, of this particular version of the saying.

I mean think about it, once in a while who doesn’t like to talk about doughnuts [or donuts, if you lean toward the more modern spelling]?

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{ SOMETHING TO WATCH FOR FUN }

“Time to make the donuts.”

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C Is For Cracker, Just Cuz

April 4, 2016May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 29 Comments

Holy crap on a cracker!

… is one of those things people say when stuff goes wrong in a weird way. I couldn’t tell you when or where I first saw or heard this saying, but I know that I say it from time-to-time.

When I started researching this phrase’s derivation, I discovered that some sources say that “crap on a cracker” is a polite way of re-stating what my FIL, a Korean War vet, would describe as: “sh!t on a shingle.”

I dunno if that’s true, but it makes for a good story.

What I do know to be true about this phrase is that it’s been made popular by Kaley Cuoco’s character Penny on The Big Bang Theory.

And that’s all I can tell you, my gentle readers, about holy crap on a cracker! 😉

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B Is For Bananas, Because Why Not?

April 2, 2016May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 29 Comments

cuckoo bananas

… is a slang phrase that I stumbled upon while reading blogs.

When I began to see it written around ye olde worldwide web I needed to know what it meant. Upon learning that it’s a way of saying someone is crazy in a cool way, I decided to adopt this phrase as my very own and use it in polite conversation.

This is because I have found over the years that one can never have too many vague, but accurate, ways to tell someone else that he or she is slightly out of his or her mind, but you like them anyhow.

N’est ce-pas?

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{ SOMETHING TO WATCH FOR FUN }

“…but bananas like the climate of a very, very tropical equator, so you should never ever put bananas, in the refrigerator.”

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A Is For Artichoke, A Good Place To Begin

April 1, 2016May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 25 Comments

Okie-dokie, artichokie

… is a slang phrase that I’m guessing everyone has heard, read, or said. It’s one of those goofy ways to communicate agreement without committing to too much interest.

I use the phrase from time-to-time because there are moments when it is appropriate.

For instance, when your husband is telling you a detailed analysis of his current sock situation, and you would prefer that he get to the bottom line of this sock soliloquy, because if he wants you to buy him some more socks, just say so.

But there he is staring into his sock drawer, reflecting upon his hole-y, muddled mess-o-socks, while you stand by patiently, not caring at all about the finer nuances of his sock preferences, but pretending that it matters to you.

That’s when a wise woman says “okie-dokie, artichokie,” then goes to Kohl’s and buys him whatever socks are on sale that day.

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{ SOMETHING TO DO FOR FUN }

Take the Can You Identify These Vegetables? Quiz. Helpful hint: the first answer is artichoke.

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