Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
Pope Paul VI was the first pope to visit the United States when he came to New York City in 1965. Pope John Paul II came to New York City in 1979 and 1995. Pope Benedict XVI came to New York City…
"Little Chitaly" (Little Italy + Chinatown) is a nickname that reflects a blending of two classic Manhattan neighborhoods. Little Italy began shrinking after the 1960s, and Chinatown grew…
Manhattan's Chinatown originally had Cantonese speakers. In the 1980s and 1990s, Mandarin speakers from the Fujian Province of China moved in, especially around East Broadway. The nickname…
"One trillion" is basketball slang is when a player plays one minute, followed in the box score by a row of zeros -- 0 field goals, 0 three-point field goals, 0 foul shots, 0 points, 0…
"Snackwave" was coined by Hazel Cills and Gabrielle Noone, as explained in this tweet on December 15, 2013 from Cills: "last night @twelveoclocke and I coined 'snackwave'…
"Blue Monday" means that people get the blues on Monday. There were popular songs called "Blue Monday" in 1954 and 1983. Cliff Arnall (reported to be a specialist in seasonal…
New York-based stand-up comedian Rodney Dangerfield (1921-2004) joked about his wife's cooking: "I tell ya, my wife's a lousy cook. After dinner, I don't brush my teeth. I count…
Marriage is compared to a deck of cards in a popular joke printed on many images: "Marriage is like a deck of cards. At first all you need is two hearts and a diamond. By the end, you wish you…
The city of Philadelphia is sometimes called "Kiladelphia" or "Killadelphia" ("kill" + "Philadelphia") to emphasize injustice or violence in the city.…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as "Washington", "the District", or simply…
New York State is the "Empire State," and New York City is the "Empire City." New York City's tallest building for many years was the Empire State Building. "Empire…
"Beefsteak Nazi" is a term originally used in the 1930s for a German who was brown (Nazi) on the outside, but red (Communist) on the inside. "Beefsteak Nazis -- Brown outside but Red…
Some people never seem to join a gym, and there's a joke about it. "I tried to join a gym. My credit card was declined because the cc company viewed this as 'suspicious…
Milwaukee (WI) has been nicknamed the "Cream City" because of the cream-colored bricks that were used in many of the buildings in the 1800s. The name "Cream City" was used on…
Film director Billy Wilder (1906-2002) was making the film comedy Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) when he listened to an actor sing. The actor couldn't sing. "You have Van Gogh's ear for…
"I forgot to go to the gym today. That makes ten years in a row" is a jocular line that has been printed on posters and T-shirts. "I forgot to go to the gym today. That's four…
Amsterdam, New York, had a carpet manufacturing business that was started by John Stanford in the 1840s; the firm of Bigelow-Sanford left the city in 1955. Amsterdam was called the "Carpet…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: BaltimoreBaltimore (/ˈbɔːltᵻˌmɔːr/, locally: [ˈbɔɫ.mɔɻ]) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland, and the 26th-most populous city in the…
The city of Buffalo, New York, is located on the eastern shores of Lake Erie (one of the Great Lakes). Buffalo was called the "Queen of the Lakes" in 1828, "City of the Lakes"…
The city of Detroit. Michigan, was named after the Rivière du Détroit, the Detroit River. "Detroit" is French for "strait." "Ancient city of the straits" was cited…