An etymological dictionary

Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases.

Stick Ball

The New York City game. Here's "stick ball" and "stickball." 3 September 1922, New York Times, pg. E1:Games of tag, prisoner's base, relay racing, leapfrog races,…

Tar Beach

"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…

Johnny Pump

A "Johnny Pump" is a fire hydrant. It's a name that I don't hear much anymore. I found it first in the following novel, which is full of "classic" New York speech.…

Avenue of Heroes; Canyon of Heroes

New York City celebrates heroes. There were many large "tickertape parades" before the 1940s, but "Avenue of Heroes" and "Canyon of Heroes" seem to both were…

Hip-Hop

"Hip-hop" (also spelled "hip hop" and "hiphop") comes from New York City. Russell Simmons is planning a Hip-Hop Institute, museum and cultural center, probably for…

Ragtime

E. L. Doctorow's 1975 novel Ragtime is set in New Rochelle and in New York City. It is not known for certain that "rag time" can be claimed for New York City. However, when the…

Silicon Alley

"Silicon Alley" was always a name more than a place. It was meant to imitate California's Silicon Valley nickname. Mark Stahlman claims that he coined it and that he had Broadway in…

Big Time and Big Town

"Big Time" and "Big Town" are important parts or precursors of the "Big Apple" nickname. The New York Morning Telegraph was a sports and entertainment newspaper, and…

Variety

The show business newspaper Variety began in New York City in 1905. However, the word "variety" (show business meaning) also comes from New York City. I've been trying to verify the…

Blackout Cake

The "Blackout Cake" is the famed product of Brooklyn's Ebinger's Bakery, which began in 1898 and closed its doors in 1972. It's not clear when this was called…

Negimaki or Negimayaki

Japanese food is booming here and this is one of the early New York City classics--or is it? According to John Mariani's Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink (1979): "The word is from…

Who Owns New York?

"Who Owns New York" is a Columbia University fight song, and it goes like this: Oh, who owns New York?Oh, who owns New York?Oh, who owns New York the people say.Why, we own New York!Yes,…

Clams Casino

John Mariani's Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink (1999) states: "A dish of clams mixed with butter, paprika, and shallots, then baked with small strips of bacon on top. The recipe…