An etymological dictionary

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

Buttermilk Channel

The "Buttermilk Channel" is an old term for the separation between Governors Island and Brooklyn. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttermilk_ChannelThe Buttermilk Channel is a small tidal…

New York Gypsy Festival

The 2005 New York Gypsy Festival could become an annual event. The Festival celebrates the cultures of Bulgaria, Tyrkey, Russia and the Balkans. http://nygypsyfest.com/aboutus.htmAbout The Festival…

Pokey Award

The "Pokey Award" (a snail trophy, of course) is given out by NYPIRG's Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives to the slowest public transportation in New York City.…

Downtown

It appears that "downtown" (or "down town") originates from New York City. A person who lives in or who frequently goes downtown is a "downtowner." "Just like…

Apple Week

Slow Food USA has run an Apple Week in New York City. Historically, and "Apple Day" or "Apple Week" has occurred around Halloween on October 31.…

Bell of the Unforgotten

The "Bell of the Unforgotten" was put in place on October 16, 2005 to commemorate the unnamed victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. The bell is supposed to…

StoHo (Stone House District)

StoHo is the Stone House District of Brooklyn (3rd Street and Fourth Avenue). The neighborhood nickname is a new one and has not been well established yet. It's been claimed that the Old Stone…

Urban Harvest

Urban Harvest is Slow Food USA's new festival in New York City. http://www.slowfoodusa.org/events/urban_harvest.htmlOctober 2 URBAN HARVEST & NEW AMSTERDAM MARKETwith Spirits of the Region…