In the Microwave
Cook slices of this common citrus fruit in water to help clean the microwave.
Lemon
It loosens dried-on messes and makes cleaning with a little dishwashing liquid a breeze.
“Let your fingers do the walking.”
Yellow Pages
The Yellow Pages is a book of business listings put out by the telephone company. Years ago, it was a thicker, all-encompassing telephone directory of both personal and professional listings. Those huge books also had blue pages, which were government listings.
Some people consider this to be an unlucky number.
13
The myth of 13 being unlucky dates to ancient times. One theory is that since 12 was considered the perfect number, the number that follows it must be unlucky. TWA never had a 13th row on their airplanes, and the building that housed its corporate headquarters did not have a 13th floor
Money doesn’t grow on these.
Trees
The idiom has two meanings, the less common one being that it takes trees many years to grow from a seed, and seed money requires time to grow.
Fonzi (“The Fonz”)
Happy Days
Henry Winkler plays the Fonz.
What is the literal meaning of the phrase Je ne sais quoi?
“I don’t know what.”
The phrase is used in English to mean an elusive or hard-todefine quality, especially an appealing one.
When boiling water in the microwave, heat to this point.
When it first starts to boil
Never remove a cup of water that has reached a rolling boil. It can explode and fly up into your face. The FDA recommends not to heat water or liquids for excessive amounts of time in the microwave.
“King of Beers”
Budweiser
Before Budweiser was the “King of Beers,” it was the “King of Bottled Beer.”
His famous address begins, “Fourscore and seven years ago.”
Abraham Lincoln
The Gettysburg Address continues with, “our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
Kids often argue when we tell them it’s time to hit this.
The sack or the hay
The sack refers to early mattresses, and people used to hit their sacks to fluff them. The first use of hit the hay dates to the early 1900s.
Ted Baxter
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Ted Knight plays Ted Baxter, the pompous television news anchor. The character has little influence, as the station’s nightly news is not widely viewed.
When you microwave potatoes, do this with a fork before nuking them.
Poke holes in them
This allows air to escape and keeps the potatoes from exploding. Potatoes that haven’t been pricked don’t always explode, but it’s better to be safe than have to clean up a mess.
“If it’s gotta be clean, it’s gotta be”—this product.
Tide
A vintage Tide slogan was, “Dirt can’t hide from intensified Tide.”
This American city is famous for its cable cars.
San Francisco
The first cable car was placed into service in 1873.
When something becomes popular and sells quickly, it sells like this food.
Hotcakes
This is another name for pancakes, an American invention dating back to the 1600s. Hotcakes were once a staple food at fairs.
Miss Ellie
Dallas
Miss Ellie is mostly played by two actresses: Barbara Bel Geddes, and Donna Reed after Bel Geddes’ death. A third Miss Ellie is played by Eve Brent in one 1989 episode.
Never reheat your food in containers made from this substance, which deflects heat rather than conducts it.
Metal
Additionally, the thinner and sharper the metal, the more dangerous it is.
“When you care enough to send the very best.”
Hallmark
The slogan was released in 1944. Today, Hallmark has expanded to include four TV and streaming channels of feel-good movies and TV shows, a publishing arm, and a wine club.
This is known as “the fabric of our lives.”
Cotton
“The fabric of our lives” is the tagline for the cotton industry.
When taking questionable shortcuts, we cut these.
Corners
Cutting corners can backfire, taking longer to complete a task.
Suzanne Sugarbaker
Designing Women
Delta Burke plays the role of Sugarbaker, a former Miss Georgia contestant who stepped down and returned her crown due to a clerical error.
Degreasing the filters on the bottom of over-the-stove microwaves will do this.
Makes the microwave run more efficiently
Accumulated grease in the filter makes your microwave work much harder.
“Stronger than dirt!”
Ajax
The Colgate-Palmolive company launched Ajax Powder Cleanser in 1947.
This is an ancient Chinese discipline of meditative movements practiced as a system of exercises.
Tai chi
It was originally a martial art, but today it is a gentle exercise that focuses on postures and controlled breathing. It helps improve balance, which can reduce slips and falls.
When something is tried for the first time or when building something new, we are said to break this.
New ground
The idiom dates to ancient times and comes from breaking ground to build a new structure.
Endora
Bewitched
Before appearing in Bewitched as Endora, Agnes Moorehead performed on the big screen, debuting in Citizen Kane. She also earned an Academy Award for Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte.
This fruit releases plasma when heated in the microwave.
GRAPES!
The plasma, which is a gas charged with ions, can cause a fire.
“Think small.”
Volkswagen
As cars became fashion statements in the 1950s and 1960s, Volkswagen created ads with this slogan to reflect the changing attitudes toward cars. It was a highly effective pivot for the company.
She popularized the little black dress.
Coco Chanel
The little black dress is a classic that dates to the early 1900s.
This effect is the result of momentum building, such as one success leading to another and another.
Snowball or domino effect
If you start a snowball and roll it down a hill, it gathers momentum even as it grows larger.
Angel and Rocky
The Rockford Files
Angel is an audience favorite for his shady antics, but he always comes through for Jim Rockford due to his questionable contacts. Rocky is Jim’s curmudgeonly father.