Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
"Eternity is a ham and two people" (also given as "Eternity is two people and a ham") is an old quip from the days when a ham was huge -- far more than two people could finish.…
Tuna noodle casserole (or "tuna and noodle casserole") has been popularly made with canned tuna, cooked noodles and Campbell's cream-of-mushroom soup (first sold in 1934). However,…
Pink lemonade is popularly associated with the circus; there are various origination stories involving pink circus tights and dubious water. Pete Conklin claimed to have invented pink lemonade at…
"Money in the bank" (often given as "like putting money in the bank" or "like money in the bank" or "like money in a bank") means a sure thing, a guaranteed…
"Quiche" is probably related to the German word "kuchen," or cake. A quiche is made of eggs and milk or cream, baked in a pastry crust. A Quiche Lorraine (named from the…
Mongole soup (called "Purée Mongole" in the earliest descriptions, but also spelled as "Purée Mongol," "Potage Mongole," "Potage Mongol," "Creme…
"Senegalese soup" had been served at New York's "21" Club for many years, but the origin of the soup and its name are unclear. Senegalese soup has been called "cold…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Chicken soupChicken soup is a soup made by boiling chicken parts and/or bones in water, with various vegetables and flavorings. The classic chicken soup…
Matzah ball soup (also spelled "matza ball soup," "matzoh ball soup," "matzo ball soup," among many other spellings) is traditionally served on the Jewish holiday of…
Bachelor parties (and other parties where a man is being celebrated, such as a birthday party) sometimes have featured a stripper who pops out of a cake. The origin of this seemingly American…
"Don't make a federal case out of it!" means don't make a "big deal" of the small matter. The phrase was widely used in the early 1950s, when important civil rights…
One of the first "sundaes" (in print several times in 1902) appears to have been the "Buffalo sundae." The city of Buffalo is located in upstate New York, near Ithaca (where the…
The "tin roof sundae" usually contains peanuts and chocolate sauce on top of vanilla ice cream. "Tin roof sunday" is cited in a 1907 Mansfield (OH) newspaper; "tin roof…
"Dark thirty" (or "dark-thirty") means thirty minutes after the sun goes down. The earliest citations for "dark thirty" appear to be from Texas and New Mexico in the…
The "coffee break" became an American institution during World War II, when older and inexperienced workers were pushed into the workforce and needed breaks for refreshment. The…
The Yale cocktail (a tribute to Yale University in New Haven, CT) has probably been served most at Manhattan's Yale Club, on Vanderbilt Avenue just opposite Grand Central Terminal. The Yale…
A "mixed grill" is a dish of grilled or broiled meats and vegetables. "Mixed grill" is cited from at least 1904, in a London newspaper; the term is often identified as British…
"Junk food" became a popular term in the 1970s for the fast food and sweets in the American diet. New York magazine food critic Gael Greene frequently used "junk food" from at…
Chef salad (or "chef's salad") is a tossed salad that contains lettuce, several vegetables, hard-boiled eggs and often cheese and meat (such as ham). Early recipes (from the 1930s)…
Chinese sweet and pungent shrimp is sometimes called "Chinese popcorn" because you can't eat just one, and once you start eating you can't stop until it's all gone.…