Clinton News Network (CNN nickname)
Cable News Network (CNN) began in 1980 as the first all-news television channel. Some critics of CNN have claimed that the network is biased and favors the politicians Bill Clinton and Hillary…
Heartbreak Hotel (Ramada Plaza JFK Hotel)
The Ramada Plaza JFK Hotel (at JFK Airport) was called "Heartbreak Hotel" (also the title of a 1956 Elvis Presley song) in July 1996, when it housed grieving family members of those who…
Little Uzbekistan (Midwood, Brooklyn)
When the Soviet Union broke up in the 1990s, many people from the Soviet satellite countries moved to New York City, especially to Brooklyn. Midwood and Kensington acquired the name "Little…
Little Paris; Little France (Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn)
Brroklyn became gentrified in the 1990s, and many French speakers settled in Carroll Gardens (formerly known as an Italian neighborhood). "The Brownstone Brooklyn neighborhood that was once an…
Robe-itis
"Robe-itis" (or "black robe-itis") is an affliction suffered by some robed judges. A person can put on a robe and assume a god-like attitude and power, forgetting that he or she…
“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens”
American poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809=1894) wrote in The Poet at the Breakfast-Table (1872): "It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to…
“There is only one fruitcake—it just keeps getting sent around”
Americans send each other fruitcake over the Christmas holiday season, but does anyone ever eat it? In 1978, American humorist and food writer Calvin Trillin said that someone in Denver once told…
“The best way to cook fish is to have a slow waiter walk it through a hot kitchen”
Some diners insist that food not be overly cooked. There is an old saying that the best way to cook fish (or meat) is to put it in a plate and have a slow waiter walk it through a hot kitchen. The…
Gingerbread House (Bay Ridge, Brooklyn)
The "Gingerbread House" (also called the "Hansel and Gretel Cottage" or "House of the Seven Dwarfs"), at 8220 Narrows Avenue and 83rd Street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn,…
“The shortest book in the world is called ‘Great Jewish Sports Heroes’”
Jewish people, allegedly, are not good at sports. A popular Jewish joke is: Q: What's the world's thinnest book? A: "Great Jewish Athletes." The joke has been cited since at…
Crowler (can + growler)
A "growler" is a term for a pail of beer, made popular in New York City bars in the 1880s. A young person would be sent to "rush the growler" (that is, bring home some beer).…
Billennial (bilingual + millennial)
"Billennial" (bilingual + millennial) was popularized by Univision on July 31, 2014. The term usually refers to a Hispanic bilingual millennial (someone born between the early 1980s and…
Hispennial (Hispanic + millennial)
"Hispennial" (Hispanic + millennial) means a person born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s who speaks Spanish. The term was cited on Twitter on July 30, 2013.…
“Teenagers drive like they’re going to die: elders drive like they have all the time in the world”
"Teenagers drive like they have limited time & old people drive like they have all the time in the world" is a jocular saying that was on Reddit's "Shower Thoughts" in…
“Your stomach thinks all potato is mashed”
"Your stomach thinks all potato is mashed" appeared on Reddit's "Shower Thoughts" on October 28 2013. It has been included as one of the top "Shower Thoughts,"…
“You ain’t no Muslim, bruv”
Three people were stabbed inside the Leytonstone tube station (UK) in the evening of December 5, 2015. The attacker shouted "This is for Syria," referring to the Royal Air Force's…
“How did they measure hail before the golf ball was invented?”
"How did they measure hail before the golf ball was invented?" asks an old joke, cited in print since at least 1970. Hail is often described to come down in golf balls, but before that…
“What do snowmen eat for breakfast?”/“Frosted Flakes.”
A popular winter joke for children is: Q: What do snowmen eat for breakfast? / Q: What is Frosty the Snowman's favorite cereal?A> Frosted Flakes. The joke has been cited in print since at…
“What did the gingerbread man put on his bed?”/“A cookie sheet.”
A popular winter joke for children is: Q: What did the Gingerbread Man put on his bed?A: A cookie sheet. The joke has been cited in print since at least 1998. Google BooksBest Riddle Book EverBy…
“Where do snowmen keep their money?”/“In snow banks.”
A popular winter joke for children is: Q: Where do Eskimos/snowmen keep their money?A: In snow banks. Versions of the joke have been cited in print since at least 1958. Google BooksDecember 1958,…