Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 40,000 entries.
Moo shu pork (also "moo shoo pork" or "moo shi pork") is cited in English from at least 1962; by the late 1960s, moo shu pork became a popular New York City Chinese dish. The…
The Board of Aldermen was notoriously corrupt in the 19th century, sometimes earning itself the nickname "Forty Thieves." The 1884 Board of Aldermen became nicknamed the "boodle…
The name "forty thieves" is taken from the story "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights). One of New York City's…
About the year 1900, New York City had many saloons. The board of aldermen then existed (now called the city council), and many of these aldermen used the saloons in their political organizations.…
"Big Apple" is a 1983 song by the British pop band Kajagoogoo. A repeated lyric in the song is: "Life in the big apple moves very fast and so must you." A YouTube video of…
"Big Friendly" is a trademarked (March 2007) nickname for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The nickname appears similar to the Big Apple (New York City) and the Big Easy (New Orleans). The…
"The Friendly City" has been an Austin nickname since 1925, when it was promoted by the city's chamber of commerce. In the 2000s, this was replaced with the popular unofficial…
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Dictionary of American Regional English)punchball n esp NYCA game similar to baseball played with a rubber ball that is hit with the fist.1935 Ware Greenwich Village 144…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Dictionary.combox·ball /ˈbɒksˌbɔl/ [boks-bawl]–noun a game played between two players on two adjoining squares or sections of a sidewalk or a playground, in which a…
"Chinese handball" is similar to "American handball." It is called "Chinese" not because it comes from China or was popular in Chinatown or was played by Chinese…
"Spaldeen" is the New York City name for the Spalding High-Bounce Ball, first manufactured in 1949. Spaldeens were used in many street games, such as stickball, punchball, stoop ball, and…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Chicago-style pizzaChicago-style pizza is a deep-dish pizza style developed in Chicago. The term also sometimes refers to "stuffed" pizza, another…
Pizzas come in many shapes -- circular, rectangular, and even football-shaped. The "football pizza" can be cited at least as far back as 1960, but was popularized when the national pizza…
"Surfboard pizza" is a specialty of Don Ho's Bar & Grill, founded in 1998 by the Hawaiian entertainer Don Ho (1930-2007). The flatboard pizzas (served on a mini-surfboard lifted…
New York Yankee baseball great Yogi Berra is well known for his humorous sayings, although Yogi once remarked: "I never said everything I said." Yogi was once asked (usually attributed to…
The "F" train has been called the "Forever" train because of (alleged) long waiting times. The nickname dates from at least 2006, but hasn't appeared often in print.…
SoMa (South of Macy's) is a nickname for the area south of Herald Square in Manhattan. The "SoMa" nickname is taken from the well-established SoMa (South of Market) in San Francisco.…
The "pizza slice joke" is so old that, in the original telling, "slices" were called "pieces." A pizza parlor waitress asks a customer if he wants the pizza cut into…
"People's Roadway" is the nickname that Transportation Alternatives uses for the Queensboro Bridge's bike and pedestrian path. The Queensboro Bridge has had many lengthy…
"Hell's Bedroom" is a 1970s variant of Hell's Kitchen. In the 1970s, Eighth Avenue in Manhattan was filled with prostitutes and called the Minnesota Strip. Gail Sheehy wrote two…