“Step on a crack, break your mother’s back” (sidewalk saying)
There are various superstitions about where to step while walking on the sidewalk. "Step on a crack, break your mother's back" dates to at least 1905. "Step on a nail, put your…
Staten Island Ferry (cocktail)
A Staten Island Ferry cocktail is cited on Wikipedia/Wikitender as consisting of rum and pineapple -- a piña colada without the coconut cream (that is not native to Staten Island, New York). The…
“One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor!”
A popular T-shirt ode to drinking tequila is: "One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, FLOOR!" The saying dates to 1995. The tequila saying is taken from the simple counting game:…
“On the wagon” (“Off the wagon”)
Entry in progress -- B.P. The Free Dictionaryoff the wagon Slang No longer abstaining from alcoholic beverages.on the wagon Slang Abstaining from alcoholic beverages. Merriam-Webster Dictionaryoff…
Agita (Agida; Acida)
"Agita" achieved its greatest fame as a song title in the Woody Allen film Broadway Danny Rose (1984). The movie featured the Carnegie Deli and the "Agita" song mentioned…
OAMC (Once-A-Month Cooking)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Once-a-month cooking The concept of once-a-month cooking (OAMC) is to spend a set time cooking, be it a day or two, but with an end result of having enough…
Cook-Off (Cookoff)
A "cook-off" is a cooking competition. Cook-offs often limit themselves to a particular food, such as "chili cook-offs." The term "cook-off" began in 1936 at the…
Bake-Off
The first Pillsbury "Bake-Off" (then officially titled the "Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest") took place in 1949 at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The name…
“What, no spinach?”
"What, no spinach?" was an unlikely slang phrase that became popular in the 1920s and 1930s. It originated in a New York newspaper cartoon drawing (the original hasn't yet been…
“Yes! We Have No Bananas”
"Yes! We Have No Bananas" is a popular song, written by Frank Silver and Irving Cohen in 1922. Eddie Cantor sung it in the 1922 Broadway revue Make It Snappy. The song tells of a Greek…
Wall Street South (Charlotte, NC nickname)
Charlotte, North Carolina has been called "Wall Street South" because of the presence of both Bank of America and Wachovia in the city. In September 2008, Bank of America agreed to buy…
Mary Ann Pan (Mary Ann Cake Pan)
Entry in progress -- B.P. The Cook's Thesaurus - Baking EquipmentMary Ann pan Notes: When inverted, cakes made with this pan have a large depression in the middle that can hold fillings.…
Half-and-Half (dairy product)
"Half-and-half" is -- among other combinations -- half cream and half milk, a dairy product frequently added to coffee. Rules were made in 1954 by state and city health departments and…
Mexican Turnip (jicama nickname)
The jicama has been called a "Mexican turnip" since at least 1959; jicamas became popular in the United States since the 1970s. The bulbous root vegetable is a member of the legume family…
Mexican Potato (jicama nickname)
The jicama has been called a “Mexican potato” since at least 1972; jicamas became popular in the United States since the early 1970s. The bulbous root vegetable is a member of the legume family…
Poor Man’s Oyster (mussel; snail; clam)
There have been many seafood claims on the term "poor man's oyster," with mussels, snails and clams all claiming the title. ("Poor man's oyster" is also the name of a…
Food of the Gods (Ambrosia)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Ambrosia (fruit salad)Ambrosia is a variation on the traditional fruit salad. It contains sour cream and/or sweetened whipped cream (or whipped topping) mixed…
Food for the Gods
Entry in progress -- B.P. Googlw BooksQueen Esther Cook BookCompiled by The Queen Esther Circleof the First Methodist Episcopal Churchof Evanston, Illinois1911 (By Mrs. Alfred L. Lindsey)Pg.…
Murder Burger
"Murder Burger" is sold at the First Way Deli ("Home of the Murder Burger") in the Bronx, at 1030 East Tremont Avenue and West Farms. The deli's "Murder Burger"…
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" is a common saying. Breakfast is the first meal of the day, providing fuel for the day's activities. The saying appears to have been…