Copperhead (Civil War nickname)
A "Copperhead" was a person from the North who sympathized with the South during the Civil War. The term appears to have started in April 1861, when copperhead snakes were sent by mail…
Perfect Manhattan (cocktail)
What's a "Perfect Manhattan"? That's whiskey with a splash of both dry and sweet vermouth. Of course. http://www.cocktail.com/recipes/p/PerfectManhattan.htm1 1/2 - 2 oz blended…
Waldorf of Harlem (Hotel Theresa, now Theresa Towers)
The Hotel Theresa opened in 1913 at Seventh Avenue, between 124th and 125th Streets. The Harlem hotel ended its racial segregation policy in 1940. The Theresa quickly became the most important…
Wall Dog
The "wall dog" is the person who painted that advertisement on the wall. There were many "wall dogs" in the 1920s, but their numbers have been dwindling with the new…
Acropolis of America (Morningside Heights)
The area of Columbia University in Morningside Heights is sometimes called the "Acropolis of America" or "New York's Acropolis." Part of that is old Columbia puffery,…
SRO (Single Room Occupancy)
"SRO" first meant "standing room only," in the 1890s. Later, in the 1930s and 1940s, "SRO" was used to mean "single room occupancy." Both meanings of…
SCRIE (pronounced “scree”) and SCHE (pronounced “she”); DRIE
SCRIE (pronounced "scree") is the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption program. SCHE (pronounced "she") is the Senior Citizen Homeowners' Exemption program. DRIE is the…
“She’s a Latin From Manhattan” (1935)
"She a Latin From Manhattan" was written for the film Go Into Your Dance (1935). The song was from the great songwriting team of Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (words) and performed by…
Bouncer
The "bouncer" is American slang and appears to have originated in New York. In England, the same person might have been called a "chucker-out." (Oxford English…
Crossing Guard
The railroad "crossing guard" appears to date from the 1880s and 1890s. The school "crossing guard" appears to date from the 1920s and 1930s. The first school "crossing…
Bicycle “Dooring”
A cyclist gets "doored" when riding down the street and a vehicle (usually parked) suddenly opens a door and obstructs the bike path. The term appears to have been first used in San…
“Hooverville” (1930)
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, shacks across the country were called "Hoovervilles" after then-President Herbert Hoover. This appears to have begun in Chicago, not New York.…
Edifice Complex
"Edifice Complex" (a pun on "Oedipus Complex") has long been associated with New York City and State. Governor Nelson Rockefeller's complex of state office buildings in…
ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure)
"ULURP ("you lurp!") is the "Uniform Land Use Review Procedure" that goes before City Planning, the borough presidents, and the community boards. Real estate is very…
Doctors’ Row (or, Irish Fifth Avenue)
There are three "Doctors' Rows." One is at 122nd Street in Harlem, and the other is at Alexander Avenue (also called "Irish Fifth Avenue") in the Bronx. Both names are…
“Choking Poster” in restaurants
Remember the "choking poster"? Do you still see it at restaurants? It's in some out-of-the-way place and looks really old and kinda yellow, right? The poster that no one reads? The…
Great Lawn (Central Park)
"The Great Lawn" in Central Park was not always there. It was designed and added in 1931. Today, the Parks Department is trying to protect the grass by limiting the Great Lawn's use.…
“Eyes on the street” (Jane Jacobs, 1961)
In her The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), author Jane Jacobs suggested that crime could be reduced by having "eyes on the street." The term began to be used by many…
Borough of Universities and Parks (Bronx)
In the 1920s and 1930s, the Bronx became known as the "Borough of Parks" and the "Borough of Universities." Manhattan (with Columbia and NYU) probably deserves the title of…
Autism (summary)
My sister has a son with "autism." On October 12, 2002, I first posted this to the American Dialect Society list, then re-posted it to alt.support.autism. The Oxford English Dictionary…