Steak Row (East 45th Street)
"Steak Row" used to be East 45th Street, from Lexington to First Avenue. The defunct Pen and Pencil Restaurant helped to give it that name. However, it is not correct to say that…
Carry/hold a torch for someone
Does "carry/hold a torch for someone" come from the Statue of Liberty? All we know for certain is the the phrase was used in Vanity Fair (NY) in 1927. Singers of smoldering music were…
“Nina” in Al Hirschfeld’s caricatures (New York Times)
Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003), the Broadway caricaturist, was probably Broadway's longest-running success story. His first theater doodle was in 1926 for the New York Herald Tribune. He soon…
“Longest Running Show on Broadway” (Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade)
Macy's ("The World's Largest Store," at Herald Square) has held a Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1924, with a suspension during the war years of 1942-1944. In 1986, Macy's…
“Copacabana (At the Copa)” (1978)
"Her name was Lola. She was a showgirl." So begins Barry Manilow's 1978 Grammy-winning song, "Copacabana (At the Copa)." The lyrics are by Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman.…
America’s Cup (Damon Runyon’s “watching grass grow”)
The America's Cup yacht race used to be located in New York City. In 1851, British yachtsmen challenged the New York Yacht Club to a race. It was won by a New York yacht called…
Ladies’ Day
"Ladies' Day" was the day after New Year's (January 2nd). It was somewhat popular in the 19th century. It appear to have been the only day when women were invited to men's…
Coliseum Books (not near the departed Coliseum)
The New York Coliseum opened in 1956. It almost immediately became a "white elephant" and was torn down in the 1990s. The Time Warner Center has occupied the Columbus Circle site since…
Knife & Fork, Bottle & Cork Spell “New York”
"A knife and a fork, a bottle and a cork; that's the way to spell New York" is a popular New York City rhyme that dates back to at least 1910. The children's rhyme was used in…
Crossword Puzzle
The New York World helped to invent the "cross word puzzle." The New York Times helped to popularize it. American Crossword Puzzle TournamentCrossword puzzles are said to be the most…
Citymeals-on-Wheels; City Harvest
Citymeals-on-Wheels and City Harvest are two programs that delivary food to poor, hugnry New Yorkers. I contributed the 1926 "meals on wheels" citations to the Oxford Englaish Dictionary.…
Bread Line
The "bread line" was one of New York's first and most famous of charities. (Oxford English Dictionary)bread-line (orig. U.S.), (a) a queue of poor people waiting to receive bread or…
“I won’t go to Macy’s any more, more, more” (jump-rope jingle, 1938)
"I won't go to Macy's any more, more, more" is a New York City "jump rope jingle" that involves Macy's department store. It has been cited in print since at least…
Butter-and-Egg Man
"Butter-and-egg man" has long thought to have been coined by nightclub queen Texas Guinan in 1924. She certainly did popularize it. In 1925, The Butter and Egg Man was the title of a…
McGurk’s Suicide Hall (the Bowery)
McGurk's (or McGuirk's) Suicide Hall at 295 Bowery was torn down in 2005. It used to be a saloon and whorehouse. Several women committed suicide while working there in the 1890s, giving…
“The Citi Never Sleeps” (Citibank)
"The Citi never sleeps" is a famous Citibank slogan, borrowing on the New York City nickname, "The City That Never Sleeps." Citibank trademarked its slogan in 1978. 1 June 1978,…
Bloody Angle (Doyers Street)
Doyers Street (in Chinatown) was called "the Bloody Angle" around 1900 because of murders that occurred on the street. The term has long fadded into history, but the angle of Doyers…
Yupper West Side
"Yuppie" (Young Urban Professional) became a national buzzword in 1984. Like many buzzwords, people became tired of its over-use. It's seldom used now. Many yuppies lived on the…
Gracie Mansion
Gracie Mansion is the home of the mayor of New York City. If the mayor desires to live there, that is. Sometimes, the mayor is a billionaire and lives elsewhere....The history of Gracie Mansion is…
98 Nicknames
The largest selection of New York City nicknames (see the other entries in this Nicknames/Slogans category) can be found in Names and Sobriquets of U.S. Cities and States (second edition 1970) by…