Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases.
"The true administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good government" is on top of all those Corinthian columns on the New York State Supreme Courthouse, in Foley Square (60…
Write to the mayor! Letters are probably better, but e-mail is good, also! Tell him about this website and about my 12-year campaign to run for "public advocate," and ask him if I have…
Two Columbus Circle has been called the "lollipop building." It's also been called much worse. People hate it. It's in a very important area, especially since the building of…
Starting about 1979, New Yorkers heard the jingle "Take the Train to the Plane" to advertise the JFK Express. It was always a train to a bus to a plane. In December 2003, the Airtrain…
Food writer John Mariani states that "chocolate fondue" (or "Fondue Chocolat") was invented as a gimmick in New York City. Mariani even dates the event to July 4, 1964, by…
A "gurgitator" is a competitive eater. Think Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest on July 4th. Those are gurgitators! "Gurgitator" was coined and/or popularized by George…
Does the famous Nanaimo bar come from New York? Must I solve every mystery for you, for free in my spare time? http://expage.com/page/nanaimobarSome say the recipe goes back to the 1930s, perhaps…
"Don't block the box!" was a 1980s campaign to end gridlock in New York City. Drivers were reminded that "blocking the box" (an intersection, usually with white lines…
Jazz great Charles Mingus (1922-1979) recorded "Hellview of Bellevue" (also titled, "Lock 'em up") in 1960. He was actually locked up there. In 1973's album Greetings…
When "the Big Apple" caught on in a big way in the 1970s, Roosevelt Island joined the bandwagon, too. T-shirts proudly declared "Roosevelt Island - the Little Apple." Wikipedia…
A "New York Kiss" is a punch. A "New York Kiss-Off" is a rude dismissal. Both date from the mid-19th or early 20th century and are not used today. Ask for a hug instead.…
The "Brooklyn Fade" or "Brooklyn Blowout" haircut (a regional name for the familiar "fade" haircut) appears to have been popularized in the early 1990s. It's also…
"Brooklyn clothesline" was perhaps coined by astronaut Neil Armstrong in 1969. There's a video of the thing in one of the web citations below. "To the moon, Alice!" as…
NYC & Co. (the city's tourist bureau) commissioned Frank Wildhorn (of several low-grade Broadway musicals, such as Jekyll and Hyde and Dracula: The Musical) to write a song to promote…
"Tar Beach" is the rooftop (often composed of tar) where one can sit and get a tan, as if on the beach. The term "tar beach" has been cited in print since at least 1941. New…
"Seven o'clockers" were those people (about 200) who lived in Philadelphia and wrote the 7 a.m. Reading Railroad train to Penn Station in New York. Then, at 5 p.m., they'd take…
Pedlock = pedestrian + gridlock. The term "pedlock" followed "gridlock" in the 1980s, but really didn't catch on until the 2000s. 19 May 1986, Newsday (Long Island, NY),…
"Skelly" is an old New York City game. There is a good entry for it in the Dictionary of American Regional English, but there are earlier citations to be found. It is said that the game…
"Typhoid Mary" is one of the few persons of any sort to have an entry in the Oxford English Dictionary. She has been the subject of several books and a PBS Nova documentary investigation.…
UPDATE: The second Big Apple Fest was announced for 2005, but it never took place. The following was written in early 2005. The Big Apple Fest is continuing for 2005. The Big Apple Fest website has…