Pipe Layer
"Pipe layer" was a term popularly used in the election of 1840 (and probably before) for an illegal voter. The term possibly came from New York City in the 1830s. "Pipe layer"…
“The Sturgeon King” (Barney Greengrass)
Barney Greengrass "The Sturgeon King" has been an institution at 541 Amsterdam Avenue (86th Street), since 1908. https://www.barneygreengrass.com/welcome.phpAbout Barney Greengrass Some…
“New York is Zabar’s, Zabar’s is New York” (Zabar’s)
Zabar's is the food emporium fixture at 2245 Broadway, at 80th Street. Whole Foods and Fairway and other competitors have lessened the Zabar's market in New York, but "New York is…
“Who ordered the clean glass?” (Myron Cohen joke about Stage Deli)
"Who ordered the clean glass?" is a classic restaurant joke of the late Bronx-born comedian Myron Cohen. It's said to have started at the Stage Deli (Seventh Avenue in the West 50s).…
Big Durian (summary)
"Big Durian" is sometimes said to be the nickname of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. However, it doesn't show up in most newspaper databases until the 2003 film, The Big Durian. Wikipedia:…
Go West, Young Man
"Go West, young man" is associated with New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley (1811-1872). The Tribune, unlike the New York
“Jeet jet?” / “No, jew?”
"Jeet jet?" is New Yorkese for "Did you eat yet?" An appropriate response might be "No, jew?" (No, did you?) Rhode Island and other places claim "Jeet jet?"…
“From Nine to Five”
From "9 a.m. to 5 p.m." is the familiar time for work. "9 to 5" was also the title of a popular song and film (1980) of Dolly Parton. "From Nine to Five" was the title…
Joe Doakes
"Joe Doakes" is a name for an anonymous person, like "John Doe" or "John Q. Citizen." "Joe Doakes" supposedly is a circus name that originated with P. T.…
J-E-T-S (Just End The Season)
"J-E-T-S" is a popular chant of football fans of the New York Jets. When the team is losing, some insist that this stands for "Just End The Season." The backronym "Just End…
“Keeping Up With the Joneses”
"Keeping Up With the Joneses" was a popular comic strip by Arthur "Pops" Momand that began in the New York World in 1913. "Jones" is a popular name; Momand almost went…
Pizza Bagel
The pizza meets the bagel. It had to happen here. August 1952, Chain Store Age, pg. 5:Pizza marries bagel--Klein cafeteria has a hit Cross-breeding has now entered the realm of food preparations.…
“New Yorkers Since 1784” (Bank of New York)
The Bank of New York began in 1784 and is still around today. http://www.bankofny.com/htmlpages/ahi.htmOur history began on February 23, 1784, with a small advertisement featured in The New York…
Tenement House
The "tenement house" is believed to have started in New York City, on Cherry Street in 1838. "Tenement" is from the Latin tenere (to hold). (Oxford English Dictionary)tenement…
Calendar Girl
"I love, I love, I love my calendar girl" sang Brooklyn-born Neil Sedaka. The birth of the "calendar girl" is moderately disputed, but she appears to have been born in New York…
“Eat at Joe’s” (Joe’s Restaurant)
"Eat at Joe's" signs were popular in cartoons and lore of the 1930s and 1940s and 1950s. They symbolized ubiquitous advertising, especially on highways. It probably all began with…
V-J Day Kiss (August 14, 1945)
Life magazine published a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt of an American sailor kissing a woman in Times Square to celebrate V-J Day (August 14, 1945). Eisenstaedt never recorded the couple's…
How am I doing?
Ed Koch made "How am I doing?" famous when he ran successfully for mayor in 1977. However, this was a popular line in the 1930s as well. 17 January 1932, Washington Post, pg.…
Jints (Giants)
Ben Zimmer of the American Dialect Society added this "Jints" comment on the ADS listserv in November 2005. One for Barry (surprised it's not already on his site)...Someone on…
“Since 1898” (Entenmann’s)
Entenmann's bakery started in Brooklyn in the 1890s. It is now part of the George Weston Bakeries family. http://entenmanns.gwbakeries.com/history.cfmIn the late 1800s, a young teenager named…