Hell Paso (El Paso nickname)
"Hell Paso" is an unflattering nickname for El Paso. The nickname became popular in the 1990s, but citations of it can be found before World War I. Google Groups: rec.music.gdeadFrom:…
Silicon Hills (Austin nickname)
The city of Austin is sometimes called "Silicon Hills." The name is a take-off on "Silicon Valley" (California) and "Silicon Prairie" (Dallas-Fort Worth) of the late…
Silicon Prairie
Texas has many high tech industries. The nickname "Silicon Prairie" (a take-off of California's "Silicon Valley") dates from 1979, and it was much imitated by other cities…
America’s Team (Dallas Cowboys)
"America's Team" was the title that Bob Ryan of NFL Films said that he coined for its highlight film of the 1978 Dallas Cowboys. (A December 1979 UPI story reported that "no one…
“The Sky’s the Limit” (Midland slogan)
The Sky's the Limit" is the slogan of Midland, Texas. President George W. Bush has referred to the slogan in official speeches.…
“Live Large. Think Big” (Dallas slogan)
"Live Large. Think Big" is the slogan promoted by the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. The city slogan is from June 2004, and it was replaced in October 2012 with "Big Things…
“We’re Here For You, Texas” (Texas Mutual Insurance Company)
The Texas Mutual Insurance Company has used the slogan "We're here for you, Texas" since 1999 and "All across Texas, we're here for you" since 2005.…
“We’re Texas” (University of Texas at Austin)
'We're Texas" is the 1997 slogan of the University of Texas at Austin. The capital campaign associated with the slogan raised about $1.5 billion for the university.…
“Texas: It’s Like a Whole Other Country”
"Texas: It's Like a Whole Other Country" has been a state tourism slogan since 1988. 6 September 1989, New York Times, "Promoting Texas: Ribs to Chili" by Anne S. Lewis,…
“Texas Friendly Spoken Here”
"Texas Friendly Spoken Here" is a tourist slogan from 1988. It's almost unknown outside of Texas. 6 September 1989, New York Times, "Promoting Texas: Ribs to Chili" by Anne…
“Keep Austin Weird”
"Keep Austin Weird" has appeared on bumper stickers since 2000. To some, the slogan promotes Austin's character and local businesses. To others, it shows that Austin is more liberal…
“No Brag, Just Fact”
"No brag, just fact" is sometimes said to be an old Texas saying, but it originated on the short-lived television western The Guns of Will Sonnett (1967). Will Sonnett (played by Walter…
“No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the Legislature is in session”
"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the Legislature is in session" is a classic political phrase that popularly began with a New York court decision in 1866. The…
“Texas is paradise for men and dogs, but hell for women and horses”
Describing American land as "paradise for men and dogs, but hell for women and horses" goes back to the early nineteenth century and has been applied to Illinois, Texas, Georgia, Idaho,…
“If English was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for Texas”
"If English was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for Texas schoolchildren" is allegedly the quotation of "Ma" ( or "Pa") Ferguson, at a time when Spanish…
“There’s nothing in the middle of the road except yellow stripes and dead armadillos”
Former Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Hightower's famous quotation is that there's nothing middle-of-the-road "except yellow stripes and dead armadillos." The line was…
“Agree with me on 9 of 12 issues, vote for me. Agree on 12 of 12, see a psychiatrist” (Ed Koch)
New York Mayor Ed Koch (1924-2013) said that no one should be expected to agree with him on everything, but people should vote for him if they agreed with his positions on most things. "If you…
Texas Room (family room)
A "Texas room" is real estate talk for a "family room" or "game room," or perhaps any room in the house that's large.…
Texas Hot Weiners (Texas Weiners, or Texas Wieners)
Texas Hot Weiners are famous, but where did they originate and when? The name is usually spelled "weiner" and not "wiener." While the food has long been eaten in Texas, the name…
“Poor New Mexico! So far from heaven and so close to Texas”
"Poor New Mexico! So far from heaven and so close to Texas" was allegedly said by New Mexico governor Manuel Armijo, about 1850. The phrase has been placed on bumper stickers. I…