Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases.
Texas has plenty of jokes about the lack of rain in some parts of the state. The "Noah and the flood" joke is popular on the internet and has been told about other states (California, New…
How do you pronounce the name of Mexia, Texas? There's even an old joke about this! Mexia Area Chamber of Commercea great placeno matter how you say it Wikipedia: Mexia, TexasMexia (pronounced…
"Thermostrocka Mortimer" (or "Thermostrocker Mortimer") is the broadcasting signoff of longtime Austinite Richard "Cactus" Pryor. Pryor's words are believed to be…
"Arklatex" (also spelled "Ark-La-Tex" and ""ArkLaTex") is a regional name composed of the state names of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. Sometimes Oklahoma is…
Strap Buckner (Aylett C. Buckner, 1794-1832) was one of the original 300 settlers of the city of Austin. He was a big man and was famous for slapping citizens on the back very hard, knocking them…
"Mozzarepa" (or "MozzArepa") is a commercial product that was trademarked in 1996 and combines "mozzarella" (cheese) sandwiched inside an "arepa" (corn-based…
An "arepa" is a corn-based bread popular in South American countries such as Colombia and Venezuela. The "Arepa Lady" is the popular vendor of arepas in New York City,…
Aqueduct racetrack is popularly known as "the Big A." Clark Whelton (a former writer for the Village Voice and member of the mayor's communications office) told me that he believed…
"Big Sandy" is the nickname of the racetrack at Belmont Park, perhaps a reflection of the old 1920s "Big Apple" name for the New York racetracks and the "Big A"…
"Dallass" (or "DallASS") is a spelling for some people who do not like the city of Dallas or the Dallas Cowboys. It's sometimes used with "Texass" to form…
"Texsucks" or "Texsux" (sometimes spelled "TexSux" and frequently lowercase "texsucks" and "texsux") is a spelling for some people who just…
Kemp Morgan is a Paul Bunyan-type of mythological giant, to Texas oil drilling what Pecos Bill is to Texas cowboys. The origin of the Kemp Morgan stories is unknown. The lack of any mention of Kemp…
A "Cuban hamburger" that's served in Florida might look like a hamburger covered with shoestring potatoes, spiced with paprika and onion, and topped with mojito sauce. The…
"Pecos Bill" really did exist and was the nickname of William Rufus Shafter (1835-1906), a United States Army officer. The mythical cowboy "Pecos Bill" appeared in 1923, in the…
The "club sandwich" probably originated at the Union Club of the City of New York in the 1880s. The World (New York, NY) printed on November 18, 1889: "Have you tries a Union Club…
The proposed "Great Wall of Texas" is a border wall to prevent illegal immigration from Mexico. The name borrows from the famous Great Wall of China. In the 1980s, a Great Wall of Texas…
Texas has an alleged "Home of the Hamburger" (Athens) and the Cheeseburger Capital of Texas (Friona), but where and when was the cheeseburger invented? There is no doubt that cheese was…
The cosmetics founder Mary Kay Ash (1918-2001) is often credited with: "If you think you can, you can. If you think you can, you're right." However, she admitted that she received…
Friona in West Texas was declared the "Cheeseburger Capital of Texas" by the legislature in 2007. Tiny Friona had been home to a Cheeseburger Cook-Off and Festival since only 2006 when it…
Clifton was declared the "Norwegian Capital of Texas" in 1997 by the Texas legislature. Immigration from Norway to Texas started in the 1850s-1860, led by Cleng Peerson (1782-1865).…