Fourbucks or Fivebucks (Starbucks nickname)
Starbucks Coffee Company is a coffeehouse chain that began in Seattle, Washington in 1971. There are many Starbucks outlets in New York City, especially in Manhattan. There has been some criticism…
“The only communists left are in China, Cuba, North Korea and on American universities”
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991-92, there was a joke that the only communists left in the world could be found in China, Cuba, North Korea, and on American university campuses. The joke…
“Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair”
The Memorial Arch (constructed in 1889) of Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village reads: "Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of…
Barclays Bank=Wank (Barclays Bank rhyming slang)
Barclays Bank was founded in 1690 and is headquartered in London. Barclays is known to New Yorkers mostly for its sponsorship of the Brooklyn arena ("Barclays Center") for the Nets of the…
Ain’t I Greedy or Aren’t I Greedy (American International Group or AIG nickname)
The American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is an insurance company with headquarters in New York City. In September 2008, the U.S. federal government provided the company with billions in credit…
All Investments Gone (American International Group or AIG nickname)
The American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is an insurance company with headquarters in New York City. In September 2008, the U.S. federal government provided the company with billions in credit…
Food Court
A "food court" is a grouping of food vendors, usually part of a larger shopping mall. The Rouse Company popularized food courts, with the March 1974-opened Paramus (NJ) Park shopping mall…
First National Bank of Bumfuck, Egypt (fictional remote bank)
"Bumfuck, Egypt" has been used in American slang since at least 1972 to mean a very remote place. Who knew that the place had a bank? "The First National Bank of Bumfuck" means…
Disrespectchup (disrespect + ketchup)
"Disrespectchup" (disrespect + ketchup) was coined on Reddit on April 24, 2001, by a husband whose wife added ketchup to his "lovingly grilled lime pork tenderloin." The word…
Pervertico (Politico nickname)
Conservative radio talk show host Mark Levin read a Politico.com political news story, "Mission for anti-Palin movement: Expose her" by Kenneth Vogel, on the air on April 25, 2011. Levin…
Spendaholic (spend + -aholic)
'Spendaholic" (spend + -aholic) is someone who has the disease of excess spending, much like an acoholic has with alcohol. The term "spendaholic" has been cited in print since…
Douche Bank (Deutsche Bank mispronunciation/nickname)
Deutsche Bank (literally, "German Bank") was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. There are several offices in New York City. Deutsche Bank is probably…
DBAG or D-Bag (Deutsche Bank AG nickname)
Deutsche Bank (literally, "German Bank") was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. There are several offices in New York City. Deutsche Bank is probably…
Spring Sphere (Easter egg)
One Seattle, Washington, school supposedly told a student that she could make "spring spheres," but not "Easter eggs." (This April 2011 story has been disputed.) The…
New Hampshire: “Live free or die” (motto)
"Live Free or Die" is the New Hampshire motto, approved in 1945 by its legislature after a suggestion by the Daughters of the American Revolution. New Hampshire's John Stark…
Cracker Barrel (Cracker Barrel Philosopher/Philosophy)
The "cracker barrel" (or "cracker-barrel") is a barrel containing crackers. "York Biscuit and Crackers in barrels and kegs" was printed in The Connecticut Courant…
Bank of Amerika or Bank of Amerikkka (Bank of America nickname)
Bank of America is one of the Big Four of America's banks (along with Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo). The nicknames "Bank of Amerika" (indicating a communist influence)…
Crapper Barrel (Cracker Barrel nickname)
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Restaurant is a chain combining a retail store and a family-style restaurant. Cracker Barrel was founded in 1969 in Tennessee, named after the famous cracker…
Pickles and Ice Cream
"Pickles and ice cream" is an odd combination of foods, famous for being just that. In the 1910s, "pickles and ice cream" was popularized as a strange combination of favorite…
“It’s the economy, stupid”
'It's the economy, stupid" was coined by James Carville, then working as a political consultant on the successful 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton. Carville wrote on a sign…