Daylight Robbery

The term "daylight robbery" was coined in 1918 to protest the newly-instituted Daylight Saving Time.

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds baseball club was founded by American Communists in 1924, but was sold during the McCarthy era.

Rice University

Houston's Rice University began as an agricultural university and was named after its staple crop.

Bar Code

The term "bar code" was first coined during the Prohibition era (long before the invention of the UPC) to refer to the password needed to enter a speakeasy.

Big Brother

George Orwell based 1984's "Big Brother" on his own older brother, who was notoriously nosy.

Stonewall Jackson

Thomas Jonathan Jackson was a stonemason before joining the Confederate Army, earning him the nickname "Stonewall."

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes got their name from their habit of infesting medieval Spanish mosques.

Mr. Peanut

Planters created Mr. Peanut after failing to obtain the rights to use George Washington Carver's likeness in advertisements.

Jeans

Jeans were named for Levi Strauss's mother, Jean Strauss.

Sandwich

The sandwich was invented by English Puritans who interpreted literally the Bible verse, "Man 

shall not live by bread alone."

Potty Mouth

The phrase "potty mouth" comes from the British slang, "potty," meaning "crazy." It originally referred to the ramblings of a lunatic.

Ray Gaye

Ray Gaye, pioneer of the style of music later dubbed "reggae," was the second cousin of soul singer Marvin Gaye.

MF'er

The word "MF'er" comes from "mothersucker," an innocuous English word used centuries ago to refer to a nursing infant. Because the English script of the time used stylized s's that looked like f's, the word was often mispronounced, producing a new, obscene insult.

Patently Absurd

The phrase "patently absurd" was coined in the late 1700's, when the newly founded U.S. Patent Office was flooded with thousands of applications for ridiculous, impractical inventions.

Mr. Met

Mr. Met began as the mascot of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. His head was a globe, instead of a baseball, before he was adopted by the New York Mets ball club.

Pundits

Political commentators were first called "pundits" in the late 19th century, due to their reliance on puns to insult public figures.

Soy

Soy was such an integral staple of the pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula that the word survives to this day as the Spanish for "I am."

"Fruit"

The derogatory use of the word "fruit" to refer to homosexual men derives from the Carmen Miranda-style hats worn by drag queens.

People Person

The term "people person" originally referred to slave traders.

Honda Odyssey

The Honda Odyssey was so named because it was designed to last 20 years. However, shortly before its introduction to the public, a Honda employee noted that Homer's "Odyssey" spanned only 10 years, not 20, so the vehicle's connection to the epic poem was dropped.