Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases.
AQUA (an acronym nickname for the area of Forest Hills in Queens bordered by Ascan Avenue, Queens Boulevard, Union Turnpike, and Austin Street) was invented by the blog "Forest Hills 72"…
A "country club precinct" is a police precinct that has very little crime -- policing it is like relaxing at a country club. Both the 100th Precinct in Queens (Rockaway Peninsula and the…
The East Texas Oil Field was discovered in 1930; oil was discovered in the city of Kilgore in 1937. The acre at Commerce and Main streets was called the "world's richest acre" by…
The city of Kilgore in East Texas used to have over 1,000 oil derricks. Today, about 70 oil derricks remain. A star is on the top of each derrick, lit every Christmas. In 2003, the Texas…
Kew Gardens in Queens became home to a large community of Jewish refugees from World War II. "Jew Gardens" is a nickname for Kew Gardens that perhaps was in use in the 1950s. Kew Gardens…
Kew Gardens in Queens is close to both LaGuardia and JFK airports. Many airline personnel (flight attendants and pilots) live in Kew Gardens; by at least 2000, the nickname "Crew Gardens"…
"Texas is so big that the people in Brownsville call the Dallas people Yankees and citizens of El Paso sneer at the citizens of Texarkana as being big snobs from the effete East." This…
Texas author Boyce House (1896-1961) is best known for his short, best-selling Texas humor books published during World War II, providing a chuckle to Texans and non-Texans everywhere. House also…
Paul Crume (1912-1975) was a columnist for the Dallas Morning News, where he wrote the front-page "Big D" column of news tidbits. In his book A Texan at Bay (1961), he wrote:…
Texas author Boyce House (1896-1961) is best known for his short, best-selling Texas humor books published during World War II, providing a chuckle to Texans and non-Texans everywhere. House also…
The author Mary Lasswell (1905-1994) grew up in Brownsville. In her book I'll Take Texas (1958), she wrote a sentiment that is widely quoted: "I am forced to conclude that God made Texas…
George Carlin (1937-2008) was a stand-up comedian from New York City. Carlin worked in radio in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1959, when he started his comedy career. Perhaps Carlin didn't like Texas.…
William Blakley (1898-1976) was a Texas senator for two incomplete terms, the first in 1957 and the second in 1961. He is remembered today for the quotation: "Texas is neither southern nor…
The "happy hour" was a navy term describing the period for entertainment and refreshments, used during World War I (1918). "Happy hour" became a time period for when bars and…
In 2008, the price of gasoline steadily increased in the United States. In Mexico, the price was lower because of subsidies to support low-wage-earning Mexicans who couldn't afford high gas…
The Original Texas Barbecue King in downtown Los Angeles, California advertises: Barbecue King started out as the brainchild of Rod Daniels, using many of the recipes handed down to him by his…
A "Parkie" (also lower-case "parkie") is a resident of the Park Cities -- Highland Park and Overland Park. The name "Parkie" (sometimes representing affluent…
Southern Methodist University (SMU) is located near the affluent communities of University Park and Highland Park. SMU's undergraduates are sometimes stereotyped as being spoiled rich kids.…
Guajillo's is one of the few Mexican restaurants in San Antonio that is not Tex-Mex. Its slogan since 2000 has been "The Shortcut to Mexico" ("'el atajo al México"),…
The Texas Pie Company in Kyle (south of Austin) has a slice of pie just above its door. On the sign is the Texas Pie Company slogan: "Life's short. Eat more pie!" The Texas Pie…