Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
“Rowing is the only sport that originated as a form of capital punishment" refers to the history of galley slaves. The popular rowing aphorism has been cited in print since at least 2002.…
"Rowing is the only sport you can win sitting on your butt going backwards" is a jocular saying about rowing; one can also "win by going backwards" in backstroke swimming and…
Oregon has been called the "Web-foot State" because it rains so much in the state, only animals with webbed feet were said to be able to live there. "The land of the…
Oregon has been called the "Hard Case State" because life for its earliest settlers was very hard. Inhabitants of Oregon were called "Hard Cases" by at least April 1845.…
When Oregon joined the Union in 1859, it was the westernmost state -- the place where the sun last set on the United States. The Oregon nickname of "Sunset State" has been cited in print…
The city of Portland has been called "P-town" since at least the 1990s. Other cities have also been called "P-town" -- such as Provincetown, Massachusetts. Wikipedia: Nicknames…
The Portland Timbers team in the North American Soccer League (NASL) was so popular that a sign read "SOCCER CITY U.S.A." in July 1975. The NASL folded in 1984; a team called the Portland…
The city of Portland is sometimes called "PDX" after the airport code (cited in print since at least 1948-49) for Portland International Airport. In 1987, Portland State University chose…
The name "Emerald City" was popularized in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) and the movie The Wizard of Oz (1939). The city of Eugene, Oregon, has called itself the "Emerald…
The city of Eugene, Oregon, has been called "Track Town, USA" (or "Tracktown, USA") since at least 1980. Hayward Field has been the home to the University of Oregon's track…
Bill Schonely was announcing a Portland Trail Blazers basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 18, 1971 (the Trail Blazers, playing in their first season, would lose, 136-114),…
'Top shelf" means "top notch," or something that is premium or high quality. "Top shelf" has been cited in print since the 19th century, but "top shelf" (or…
An inhabitant of the state of Oregon is called an "Oregonian." The "Oregonian" name has been cited in print since at least October 1838, when the newspaper The Oregonian, and…
The Oregonian is a daily newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, since 1850. The newspaper has been nicknamed The Oregroanian (Oregonian + groan) by some critics since at least 2000. Another…
The Oregonian is a daily newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, since 1850. The newspaper has been nicknamed The Boregonian (bore + Oregonian) by some critics since at least 1994. Another…
Many places that are perceived to be liberal have been nicknamed "The People's Republic of ----," in a mocking imitation of The People's Republic of China. The city of Portland…
"Oregonians don't tan, they rust" is a classic joke about Oregon's rainy weather. Ron Abell, president of the James G. Blaine Society, told jokes about Oregon's weather to…
The city of Portland is sometimes called "Puddletown" because of the puddles made by all its rain. The "Puddletown" nickname has been cited in print since at least 1981 and has…
When President George H. W. Bush visited Portland in May 1990, 25 people were arrested after a four-hour confrontation with police. When President Bush visited Portland again in September 1991, 400…
"The mountain is out (today)" means that the sky is clear and Mount Hood is visible from the city of Portland. "Oh, look: the mountain is out today" was cited in Bennett…