Killtown or Kill-Town (Killeen nickname)
"Killtown" (or "Kill-Town") is a hip-hop nickname for the city of Killeen. The name "Kill" comes from "Killeen" -- a city that has about the same amount of…
Galvatraz (Galveston nickname)
"Galvatraz" (Galveston + Alcatraz) is a nickname for the city of Galveston that's been used since at least 2000. Both Galveston and Alcatraz are islands; perhaps, to some people…
“It looks like a toothpick in a pie” (J. Frank Dobie on UT tower)
Folklorist J. Frank Dobie (1888-1964) was no fan of the University Tower on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The twoer was completed in 1937. Dobie refused to move into an office in…
Klobasnek or Klobasnik (“sausage kolache”)
A "klobasnek" (or "klobasnik") is a Czech food that has been also called a "sausage kolache" (pastry). Both the kolache and the klobasnek are popular with the Czech…
First Monday Trade Days (Horse Monday; Dog Monday)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Canton, TexasCanton is a city in Van Zandt County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 3,292. It is the county seat…
Waldorf Cocktail
The Waldorf cocktail is one of several cocktails from the Waldorf Hotel (later the Waldorf-Astoria). The Waldorf cocktail is cited in print from at least 1914 and contains ingredients such as rye…
Texas Nectar (cocktail)
"Texas Nectar" is a cocktail offered by the Hill Country barbecue restaurant in New York City, at 30 West 26th Street. The cocktail contains Maker's Mark bourbon, Southern Comfort,…
Demosthenes of Texas (Richard Bennett Hubbard, Jr.)
Richard Bennett Hubbard, Jr. (1832-1901) was known for his large size and his oratorical skills. Hubbard was Texas governor for only a brief period (from December 1, 1876 until 1879); in 1884 he…
“Edmonton is to Calgary as Austin is to Houston”
"Edmonton is to Calgary as Austin is to Houston" (Edmonton:Calgary::Austin:Houston) compares a capital city and a largest city. The Canadian province of Alberta (where Edmonton is the…
LBJ Law or Lyndon’s Law or LBJ Rule (simultaneous runs for senator and vice president)
Entry in progress--B.P. Wikipedia: Lyndon B. JohnsonLyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the thirty-sixth President of the United States,…
Southside Fade (haircut)
The "Southside Fade" is a "fade" haircut that is short on the bottom and progressively thicker on the top of the head. "Southside" means the south side of Houston,…
Knightees (Queens College women’s teams)
Queens College calls its men's athletic teams the "Knights." In the 1970s, the women's athletic teams were called the "Knightees." The "Knightee"…
Balloon Wrangler
Horse wranglers take care of horses and are, perhaps, the most famous of all "wranglers." Balloon wranglers take care of balloons. At the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, balloon…
Balloonicle (balloon + float)
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade introduced a "balloonicle" (balloon + vehicle) in 2004. A "ballonicle" inflates just as a ballloon does, but can be driven down the…
Falloon (float + balloon)
A "falloon" is a combination float/balloon; the term was introduced at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The first "falloon" was introduced to the parade about 1990 --…
Inflation Eve (balloon-inflating for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade)
"Inflation Eve" is the night before Thanksgiving day when all of the balloons that will be featured in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are inflated. The inflation takes place between…
Necklace Lighting (“necklace lights” on suspension bridges)
The lights on the cables of New York's suspension bridges look like necklaces at night. The "necklace lighting" began on the Triborough Bridge and Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (in 1964);…
Toxicana (Texarkana nickname)
The city of Texarkana in Bowie County has three sites on the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List for cleanup. An article by James Presley in the March 10, 1989 Texas…
BOI (Born On the Island) & IBC (Islander By Choice)
Galveston has two distinctions for the people (non-tourists) who live there: "BOI" (Born On the Island) and "IBC" (Islander By Choice). "BOI" is cited in print from at…
“My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”
"My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" is the title of a Sharon Rice/Sharon Vaughn-written song that appeared on the 1976 album Wanted! The Outlaws by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi…