The Big Apple:

An etymological dictionary

Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.

“Don’t let a team beat you twice”

Entry in progress -- B.P. Houston (TX) ChronicleBig 12 Notebook: Longhorns know all the stops on road to recoveryBy Jerome Solomon | October 14, 2004(...)The most oft-used line around UT after a…

Manhattanesque

Something (or someone) with the qualities of Manhattan is "Manhattanesque." The term "Manhattanesque" has been cited in print since at least 1853. A similar term is…

Coachspeak

"Coachspeak" (also "coach speak") is the language of sports coaches. The language often contains hidden messages for the team's players and for other teams; rarely is it…

Chiffalo (chicken + buffalo)

Papa John's (a take-out and delivery pizza chain) introduced "Chiffalo" (buffalo chicken pizza) in September 2013. The term had not then been trademarked. "Chiffalo" had…

Did I Eat That (“diet” backronym)

"Did I Eat That" is a jocular backronym (back acronym) that is sometimes given for the word "diet." The backronym was popularized in the book title D.I.E.T.: Did I Eat That :…