An etymological dictionary

Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases.

SHOT 97 (HOT 97)

HOT 97 (WQHT radio station, 97.1 FM) calls itself "The Official #1 Station for Hip Hop and R&B." In 2005 and 2006, incidents of gunfire at the station have caused some to nickname the…

Sikh Day Parade

The Sikh Day Parade began in the 1980s. It's quickly becoming a popular New York City ethnic parade. More Sikh immigrants have perhaps located in Queens than any other borough.…

LoMo (Lower Morningside Heights)

LoMo (Lower Morningside Heights) is another new one to the endless stream of neighborhood nicknames. http://dreaminaret.blogspot.com/2006/02/rise-of-soha-and-lomo.htmlWednesday, February 08,…

HoHo (Houston + Holland Tunnel)

What hath SoHo wrought? HoHo? http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05EEDC1F31F933A15752C1A962958260Here's Help for a No-Name Neighborhood Published: November 20, 1994 Two weeks ago…

Wisenheimer

A "Wisenheimer" (or "wisenheimer") is a "wise guy," a "smarty pants," a "smart aleck" (see "smart aleck" in this section), a fellow…