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The phrase "in for penny, in for a pound" is a common English idiom, meaning if one is involved in something even to a small degree, they may as well be fully involved. A common American equivalent states "in for a dime, in for a dollar." The sentiment dates back to at least 1678, when naturalist John Ray stated one might "as good be hang'd for an old sheep as a young lamb," meaning that if one were to be punished for committing either a minor or major crime (here stealing either an old sheep or a young lamb), they may as well commit the more serious one. 

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“I’m on a seafood diet. I see food I eat it!” is a pun based on the word “seafood” being both a rhyme and similar to the words “see food”. The pun also rejects the notion of being on a diet of only seafood, but rather eating any food that is visible. 

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Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote the line in his book of poems, San Francisco Poems. Ferlinghetti is an American poet, activist and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. His main audience is young people with his poetry being against social norms and that art should be shared among everyone. He termed his work the be “wide-open” referring to the wide range of content and mode. The idea that art was only for the higher class was an ideology that Ferlinghetti was against. He was very vocal that art was meant for everyone to participate in and see. Felinghetti also write fiction with his most recent book called Little Boy (2019). He is also 101 years old as of June 2020.

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This button was distributed as a joke at a meeting for the American Folklore Society by the chairman, Richard Dorson. The American Folklore Society is an association of people who study and communicate knowledge about folklore around the world. It was founded in 1888 and had Mark Twain as a member as well as President Rutherford B. Hayes. The society is located on the campus of Indiana University-Bloomington.

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While the phrase “Blow on my horn, I’ll follow you anywhere” is likely referencing a fondness for fellatio, the image of the unicorn is taken from Edward Topsell’s The History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents, a thesis on zoology published in 1658. 

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The phrase “Somewhere in Texas there’s a village missing an idiot” began to appear on bumper stickers and buttons when George W. Bush became President of the United States, in reference to his Texas origins.   

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President George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, was in office from 1989-1993. He was a naval pilot in WWII and moved to Texas after the war. There, he was elected to represent Texas in the House of Representatives. Then, he became a UN Ambassador and later ambassador to China. He became the head of the CIA and was nominated to Vice President under Ronald Reagan. (The portrait is from his official Vice President photograph.)

Bush was elected President in 1988 and served one term. He saw the end of the Cold War and the first Gulf War. Bush was in many ways a classic example of a Republican, which led people with more progressive values to poke fun or mock his time in office.