“Big as hell and half of Texas”
"Big as all hell and half of Texas" is mighty big, indeed. The phrase "...and half of Texas" was used in a circus advertisement in 1900. "Hell and half of Georgia" was…
“Merry Tex-mas, Y’all!”
Christmas (or "X-mas") in Texas is sometimes called "Texmas" or "Tex-mas," as in "Merry Tex-mas, Y'all!" Just don't wish for a white Texmas. Google…
Cowboy Bloody Mary (cocktail)
A Cowboy Bloody Mary is a Bloody Mary with horseradish and okra. It's a "signature spirit" of the Perini Ranch in Buffalo Gap, Texas. Perini Ranch Steakhouse (Buffalo Gap, TX)Perini…
“A line in the sand” (Col. Travis in 1836; Pres. Bush in 1990)
There have been many historical "lines in the sand." The Spanish explorer Pizarro is said to have a "line in the sand" to his troops in Peru. Lieutenant Colonel William Travis…
Alamo Bowl
The annual Alamo Bowl is a football bowl played between representatives of the Big 12 and Big Ten conferences. The first Alamo Bowl was played in 1993, and it takes place in the Alamodome in San…
Tortilla
The tortilla (frm the Spanish word "torta") is used a a wrap for many Tex-Mex foods, such as burritos. The corn tortilla is the traditional one, but there are now flour and wheat…
Tortilla Curtain & Cactus Curtain
After World War II, Winston Churchill declared that an "iron curtain" had descended upon Eastern Europe. Later, there would be a Berlin Wall. The purpose of the iron curtain and the…
Hombre & Bad Hombre Eggs
"Hombre" is Spanish for "man." The term is usually used with adjectives, such as "bad hombre" and "one tough hombre." These terms were used in boxing in the…
Spanglish
"Spanglish" is Spanish + English. It's the Spanish language peppered with large doses of English words, popular in some places of Texas, California, Florida and New York. The term…
Pocho & Pochismo
"Pocho" is a term for a Mexican who lives in the United States. "Pochismo" is an English word given a Spanish form or pronunciation. "Pocho" is generally regarded as…
Montezuma’s Revenge or Moctezuma’s Revenge (traveler’s diarrhea)
"Montezuma's Revenge" and "Aztec two-step" and "turista" are the colorful names for traveler's diarrhea for visitors to Mexico. The terms have spread…
Tequila Sunrise (cocktail)
It's not clear where or when the Tequila Sunrise cocktail first saw light of day, but it does date to at least 1940 -- earlier than the Margarita. Wikipedia: Tequila Sunrise (cocktail)The…
Tequila Mockingbird (cocktail)
Ever since Harper Lee's 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird, a drink named "Tequila Mockingbird" was bound to happen somehow. Drinks by that name date from the 1960s; the only thing in…
South of the Border Cider
South of the Border Cider contains apple cider and tequila. The drink is on Central Market's website and Emeril's website and is mentioned in a 1990 book, but doesn't appear in too…
Tequila Shrimp (Margarita Shrimp Skewers)
Tequila Shrimp (or Mexican Margarita Shrimp Skewers) sounds perfectly Texan. What could be better than tequila added to shrimp from the Gulf? The dish "Tequila Shrimp" dates from 1970s…
Glory Road
"Glory Road" is the title of a 1996 film, based on the book of the same name by former Texas Western (now the University of Texas at El Paso, or UTEP) basketball coach Don Haskins. The…
Sloppy Nachos & Sloppy Joes
Nachos are a well-known snack, but what are Sloppy Nachos? "Sloppy Joe" was the name of a famous bar in Havana, Cuba in the 1920s. After Prohibition ended in the United States, the bar…
Barbecue Sauce & Steak Sauce
No one knows when the first sauce was applied to barbecued meats. The first advertisement for commercially made barbecue sauce appears to be for Georgia Barbecue Sauce in 1909. "A1…
“Hello, sucker!” & “Give this little girl a big hand!” (Texas Guinan)
"Texas" Guinan was born in Waco, Texas and made a name for herself as a New York City night club owner during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. She is known today for either originating…
Dinosaur Capital of Texas (Glen Rose nickname)
Dinosaurs long ago left tracks in what would become the town of Glen Rose, Texas. A Dinosaur Valley State Park is located in Glen Rose, and in 1997 the Texas legislature officially made the city…