An etymological dictionary

Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases.

Austinite (cocktail)

The Brown Bar in Austin makes a drink called the "Austinite" -- chilled vodka (Tito's Handmade Vodka, from Austin) and jalapeño olives. The drink isn't known anywhere else, but…

Plano Princess

Plano is a suburb of Dallas, rated by Forbes one of the "Top Suburbs To Live Well." Many Plano husbands have high-paying tech jobs and the Plano housewives -- who are perhaps too spoiled…

Red Hook (cocktail)

Red Hook used to be a rough area of Brooklyn filled with longshoremen, but Red Hook is rapidly being gentrified. In 2008, New York City's first IKEA store opened there. The Red Hook cocktail…

Brooklyn Cocktail

The Brooklyn cocktail is not nearly as famous as the Manhattan Cocktail or even the Bronx Cocktail. The standard Brooklyn cocktail contains 1 ounces rye or blended whiskey, 1 ounce dry vermouth, a…

Houston Chronic (Houston Chronicle nickname)

The Houston Chronicle was first printed in 1901 and is one of the top ten largest circulation newspapers in the United States. The nickname Houston Chronic has been popular since at least 1997. The…

San Antonio Blight (San Antonio Light nickname)

The San Antonio Light was an afternoon newspaper that was published from 1881 until 1993. The Light was a long-running competitor of the San Antonio Express-News (nicknamed San Antonio…

Longhorn Iced Tea

Longhorn Iced Tea is the Texas version of Long Island Iced Tea. This mix of several different alcoholic drinks includes tequila, rum, vodka and triple sec, plus orange juice, lime juice and…

Dallas Crimes Herald (Dallas Times Herald nickname)

The Dallas Times Herald began in 1879 as the Dallas Daily Times, merging with the Dallas Daily Herald to become the Dallas Times Herald in 1888. The newspaper was a popular news source until 1991,…