Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner (1930-2010) bought the team in 1973 and returned the Yankees to glory years of World Series championships. Steinbrenner often compared the Yankees to the…
Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn is located near the communities of Sunset Park and South Park Slope (or South Slope). The neighborhood nickname "Sun Slope" (Sunset Park + South Park Slope)…
The United States capital of Washington, District of Columbia ("DC"), has been nicknamed the "District of Confusion" since at least 1943. The "District of Confusion"…
The United States capital of Washington, District of Columbia ("DC"), has been nicknamed the "District of Corruption" since at least 1951. The "District of Corruption"…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikiquote: John Maynard KeynesJohn Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes of Tilton (5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946) was a British economist whose ideas, known as Keynesian…
The Times Square Allience coined the name "Avenue of Architecture" in 2008 for Manhattan's Eighth Avenue, between 40th Street and Columbus Circle. Several skyscrapers had been…
Dodge City, Kansas, was a stop on Texas longhorn cattle drives in the 1800s. The phrase "Get out of Dodge!" comes not from the old West, but from the radio (1952-1961) and television…
"Nagadocious" is a spelling error for the Texas city of Nacogdoches. The Space Shuttle Columbia dropped some debris around the city; a television news map in February 2003 mispelled the…
The National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded in 1966 to protect and advocate for women's rights. Critics of NOW have claimed that it supports liberal women, but not conservative…
The National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded in 1966 to protect and advocate for women's rights. Critics of NOW have claimed that it supports liberal women, but not conservative…
Singer and songwriter Mac Davis was born in Lubbock, Texas. His 1980 song, "Texas in My Rear View Mirror," contains the lyrics: "I thought happiness was Lubbock, Texas, in my rear…
Democrat Texas Governor Allan Shivers (1907-1985) endorsed Eisenhower (a Republican) for president in 1952. Conservative Democrats like Shivers were called"Shivercrats," and, after 1970,…
The "Botax" or "botax" (Botox + tax) is a tax on cosmetic procedures, especially involving Botox. New York City considered a "botax" in 2004 and the federal government…
An "October surprise" is a surprise event occurring just before a November election (usually a presidential election) that is intended to sway voters. The "October surprise"…
"Wreckovery (wreck + recovery) has been used since the 1990s to mean the "recovery" of "shipwrecks." In 2009, the U.S. Congress passed the American Recovery and…
Gazpacho (sometimes spelled "gaspacho") is a cold vegetable soup from Andalusia in Spain. The dish has been called "liquid salad" since at least 1952. In July 2010, the New York…
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded in 1920, with the mission "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the…
The Houston Chronicle was first printed in 1901 and is one of the top ten largest circulation newspapers in the United States. One Chronicle newspaper nickname (used since at least 2001) is the…
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) founded in 1909 with the mission "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all…
Albert Innaurato's play, Gemini, about a blue collar South Philadelphia family, opened on Broadway in May 1977. Two food lines from Gemini appeared frequently in New York City television…