shut up and color
v. phr.— «Field perceives that they are being deceived. possibly being used as guinea pigs, treated like idiots and told to due nothing more than shut up and color (or in this case take the vaccine).» —“Adverse Reactions To Anthrax Vaccine” by John C. Jensen Congressional Testimony by Federal Document Clearing House July 21, 1999. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
John in Omaha, Nebraska, wonders about a phrase that encourages someone to attend an event or risk being left out or feeling uncool: be there or be square. Don’t fall for the fake etymology about people wearing boxes on their heads! Ditto for...
She sells seashells by the seashore. Who is the she in this tongue twister? Some claim it’s the young Mary Anning, who went on to become a famous 19th-century British paleontologist. Dubious perhaps, but the story of her rise from seaside...