“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded” (restaurant joke)
"Nobody goes there anymore -- it's too crowded" is supposedly New York Yankee baseball great Yogi Berra's statement about a popular restaurant. Yogi might have said it, but he…
If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere
if I can make it there, I'll make it anywhereIt's up to you, New York, New York--The song "New York, New York" (1977) by Fred Ebb and John Kander This was a familiar saying in…
Do a Brodie
On July 23, 1886, Steve Brodie jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, survived, and achieved instant fame. Some books state that this was a hoax and that Brodie never jumped, but David Shulman of Brooklyn…
Smoke-Eater; Smoke-Chewer
"Smoke-eaters" are firefighters, also known as New York's "Bravest." "Smoke-chewer" isn't used today, but the 1884 citation below is interesting.…
Zucchini Sticks
It appears that this popular appetizer began in a New York City restaurant, probably Theodore's. 19 February 1949, New York Herald Tribune, pg. 11, col. 6:She folds the veal turnover style,…
Gridlock
"Gridlock" is "grid" + "lock." The Oxford English Dictionary has: "Apparently coined by two U.S. transport engineers, Roy Cottam and Sam Schwartz ('Gridlock…
Bodega
"Bodega" came to us from Spain, through Cuba and Puerto Rico. The term has been used regularly in New York City since at least the 1930s, but most consistently since the 1950s and 1960s…
Brownie; Meter Maid
"Brownie" and "Meter Maid" have been replaced by "Traffic Enforcement Agent." The new term makes sense for two reasons: (1) they now wear black and not brown, and (2)…
Dude
The "dude" craze began in New York City in 1883. The figure had existed before under different names, such as "swell" and "dandy" and "fop" and…
Library Lions (Patience and Fortitude; Lord Lenox and Lady Astor; Leo and Leonora)
There are two lions in front of the New York Public Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. The "reading between the lions" joke is not new. Here are some of their names. 11 December…
Herald Square and Times Square
"Herald Square" was named after the New York Herald newspaper in 1893. It is the area around West 34th Street. "Times Square" was named after the New York Times newspaper in…
Forty Deuce (42nd Street)
"Forty Deuce," or "Deuce" for short, is (or was) West 42nd Street, between Sixth Avenue and Eighth Avenue. The term dates from the seedy 1960s and 1970s, when the block…
Bridge and Tunnel People
The "bridge-and-tunnel people" or "bridge-and-tunnel crowd" is a holdover term from the Studio 54-era of the 1970s. It's usually a disparaging term, but why look down on…
Straphanger
A "straphanger" is someone who rides the trains or buses. NYPIRG has a branch it calls "Straphangers Campaign" that studies transit issues. The subway is about 100 years old,…
City That Never Sleeps
In the song "New York, New York" (1977), Frank Sinatra (in a 1979 recording) said that he wanted to wake up in a city that doesn't sleep. The phrase is much, much older than the…
Cappuccino
Cafe Reggio on Macdougal Street did not invent the "cappuccino," but it certainly was one of the first places in America to offer it. "Cappuccino" was cited in an 1893 guidebook…
General Tso’s Chicken
General Tso's Chicken (deep-fried chicken in a sweet sauce) was popularized at Peng's restaurant in Manhattan on 291 East 44th Street, from about 1973-74. The similar "General…
Naked City
"There are eight million stories in the Naked City. This has been one of them." Does anyone remember that line? There was a tv show called Naked City and a movie called Naked City.…
Statue of Liberty Play (football)
The Statue of Liberty play -- usually called "the old Statue of Liberty Play" -- is a trick football play that fakes a pass, but is really a handoff to someone just behind the passer. The…
Gang Green (New York Jets nickname)
Somewhat later than "Big Blue" (Giants) came "Gang Green" (Jets). The nickname comes from the green color of the Jets' uniforms and logos. Although "Gang Green"…