Yellow text on a blue background with a white illustration of a character with a wheel instead of legs

“Take me to your leader” is a popular sci-fi phrase that was first used in a 1953 cartoon published by The New Yorker. Since then, it has been stated on both the big and small screens for comic effect. The saying is most commonly uttered by an extraterrestrial being to the first human it encounters after landing on Earth.

“Lead me to your taker” is a humorous twist on this well-known cliché that was fixed onto buttons serving as prizes from gumball machines. In the 1970s, individuals could easily deposit coins into the machines and twist the metal lever to receive a pin-back with a catchy slogan. “Lead Me To Your Taker,” “Can’t You Read,” and “Don’t Follow Me I’m Lost” were just some of the phrases on the gumball machines’ buttons.

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The phrase "Leave me alone, I'm having a crisis" typically indicates that someone feels overwhelmed and needs space to handle a major stressor —whether mental, emotional, or situational. It suggests they are confused, anxious, and unable to perform their normal tasks. It typically functions as a plea for solitude and signals someone is experiencing a difficult, distressing time. Often, it comes across as exaggerated and deadpan: “I’m overwhelmed—please give me space.” Its tone can be humorous, with bluntness and all-caps drama serving as a joke. However, it can also be a polite boundary—like saying “not now.” When spoken with a smile, it sounds self-deprecating; spoken in a flat tone, it clearly signals a "do not disturb” sign.

In 1983, Sky Enterprises, based in Los Angeles, California, produced buttons with a similar font and messaging. 

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The expression featured on this button likely refers to the 1989 Atari videogame Hard Drivin’ , a popular racing game in which players could perform stunts and high-speed turns in the cockpit of a powerful sports car. A variety of different tracks could be selected by taking their respective off ramps. The game could be played using a joystick, mouse, or wheel, and featured an animated dashboard to indicate units such as speed, score, and lap time.

Illustration of a face with a clothes pin on the nose and black text along the top and bottom edge on a white background

A gym locker inspector is an employee of a school or public gym that does routine inspections of the lockers to ensure that all items within are up to safety measures and the school or gym’s code. The gym housekeeping attendant will often also clean the gym or school in addition to overseeing the lost and found.

A clothespin pinching one’s nose indicates that the person is about to engage in activity that may include bad smells like old sweaty gym clothes. Pinching one’s nose and breathing out of one’s mouth help one to avoid smelling strong odors.

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Red text above an illustration of a person standing sideways in a blue dress and black shoes on a white background

In the 1970s, in an attempt to set itself apart from other airlines, National Airlines hired an advertising agency to create an ad campaign. The airline’s new slogan “Fly Me” did indeed draw attention. Ads with beautiful, young women with the new slogan written boldly above their heads were found everywhere. The $9 million a year ad campaign was a success as bookings and brand awareness increased significantly. The airline kept the male customers happy by hiring only “young, slender, unmarried white women” as flight attendants. 

While the ad proved to be effective, it was also controversial. The National Organization for Women, as well as other women’s rights groups, objected to the campaign. Women found the ads to be sexist, objectifying, and called the airline a “flying meat market.” While these groups protested in the streets, the airline continued creating the ads. However, in 1971, the airlines lifted the restriction of hiring only women. In 1972, The Stewardesses for Women’s Rights formed. The “Fly Me” campaign is still taught in marketing and advertising classes as an example of a successful but controversial advertisement. 

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This aphorism seems to have made the rounds in American language, but it changes with retelling. Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson made it into the song “Old age and treachery, always overcomes youth and skill” on their 1991 album Clean Shirt. It later showed up in the New York Times. David Mamet, a Pulitzer prizewinning playwright, screenwriter, director, and author was interviewed in 1997 about his current theatre projects and his 50th birthday. He didn’t say much when asked if age mattered, but he summarized the movie The Edge as, “Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance.”

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Dynamite is an explosive. To describe a person or a thing as "dynamite" means that they or it are exciting.

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Red text on a white background

The bold and forward message: “DO IT NOW” in red lettering on a white background conveys a sense of urgency and is a catch-all prompt. Examples with this exact phrase often appear as generic messages rather than being tied to a single organization, reflecting the late-1960s through 1980s rise in inexpensive slogan buttons. The phrase “Do it now” predates these buttons and has been reused in various contexts, from pep talks to public-awareness campaigns, which is why it cannot be linked to one specific cause. Some sources mention that the phrase became popular in early-20th-century culture (e.g., Berton Braley’s widely reprinted poem “Do It Now,” after 1915) and later appeared in public-awareness efforts like the Do It Now Foundation’s anti-drug media campaigns in the early 1970s. 

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The Digital Audio Tape Recorder, or DAT, Bill was introduced to Congress in 1990 by Arizona Senator Dennis DeConcini. The aim of the bill was to prohibit the manufacture of digital audio tape recorders that did not have the copy management systems circulatory chips. More simply, its intention was to limit serial copying of DATs. The recording industry was a primary supporter of the bill to reduce the number of copyright infringements and stop lost sales that occurred from illegal copying. However, songwriters and music producers—unhappy with the absence of royalty taxes—initially opposed it. Only after Sony and other giants in the recording industry agreed to royalty provisions did the dissenters come around. With both parties satisfied, President George H. W. Bush signed the bill into law in 1992.

Illustration of a person with yellow hair and a huge toothy grin and a blue ribbon on their shirt with blue text above on a white background

A blue ribbon is used to designate that something is of the highest quality and is often awarded in competitions. The term blue ribbon originates from The Blue Riband, an unofficial award given to the fastest passenger ships to cross the Atlantic Ocean. 

The word “riband” is the archaic form of the word “ribbon.” The name Blue Riband is taken from the French cordon bleu, which dates back to the late 1500s. During this time, Henry III of France created The Order of the Holy Spirit, a group of knights who bore crosses that hung on blue ribbons.