New Times Square or New Old Times Square (Queens Plaza)
In the 1980s and 1990s, Times Square in Manhattan was cleaned of its seedy image and strip clubs. Many of the strips clubs re-opened at Queens Plaza. Times Square was being called "the new…
Dachshund Sausage
It is sometimes said (incorrectly) that before the food was called a "hot dog," it was called a "dachshund sausage." It's said (incorrectly) that the term "dachshund…
Brownie Butts
Brownie-pan edges can be crunchy treats. Mary Louise Butters of Butters' Brownies of Austin began selling brownie edges at the Austin Farmers' Market in 2004, calling them "Brownie…
Cradle of Texas Liberty (Alamo/San Antonio nickname)
The Battle of the Alamo (1836) is well-remembered today by anyone who visits the historic Alamo mission in the city of San Antonio. Although the Texans who fought there lost the battle to Mexican…
Cradle of Texas Independence (San Augustine nickname)
Both the city of San Augustine and San Augustine County have been called the "Cradle of Texas" (or the "Cradle of Texas Independence") since at least the 1960s. Sam Houston was…
Harlem’s Cathedral (St. Charles Borromeo Church)
St. Charles Borromeo Church in Harlem (213 West 141st Street) was completed in 1904. Its Gothic structure has caused many to call it "Harlem's cathedral" or "the cathedral of…
Placardization
Parking placards allow someone with the placard (handicapped, police, fire, education, et al.) to park in a particular space. In 2008, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg attempted to cut down on…
Spasagna (Spaghetti + Lasagna)
Cheddar's is a chain of casual dining restaurants, founded in 1978 in Arlington, Texas. One frequently copied Cheddar's dish is called "spasagna" (spaghetti + lasagna), made of…
Water Ski Capital of Texas (Lake McQueeney nickname)
Lake McQueeney (near the town of Seguin) is known as the "Water Ski Capital of Texas." The lake hosts water skiing, jet skiing, and wakeboarding. The "Ski Bees" ski club on Lake…
BIN (Born In Nacogdoches)
Nacogdoches is a small town; people who were born there take pride in their identity. "BIN" stands for "Born In Nacogdoches," cited in print from at least 1999. The city of…
“Work eight hours, sleep eight hours—but not the same hours” (T. Boone Pickens?)
Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens said in his book, The First Billion Is the Hardest (2008): "You work eight hours, and you sleep eight hours -- be sure they're not the same eight…
Wrecking Crew (Texas A&M football defense)
"Wrecking Crew" was the nickname of the Texas A&M Aggies football team's defense in the late 1980s. The nickname was coined by then-Aggie safety Chet Brooks, based on how he…
Comfort Food
"Comfort food" has been described as simple, family food, usually easy to make. Chicken fried steak has been described as Texan "comfort food." The term "comfort food"…
Madison Avenue of Hispanic Advertising (Houston Street in San Antonio)
Madison Avenue is a street in New York City that is famous for its many national advertising firms. In the late 1990s, Bromley Aguilar + Associates (one of the nation's largest Hispanic…
Gay Boulevard
"Gay Boulevard" is the main street in any city area frequented by gays. At a Manhattan community board meeting in July 2008, board member Allen Roskoff said: "I refer to Eighth Ave.…
Unique by Nature (McKinney slogan)
The city of McKinney added the "Unique by Nature" slogan and logo in 2005. McKinney is on the northeastern edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and has been one of the fastest-growing…
Pine Curtain
East Texas is home to the Piney Woods. For some people, the wooded area is the "pine curtain" -- another "-curtain" expression borrowed from Winston Churchill's famous…
Naked Roaches (Nacogdoches nickname)
The city of Nacogdoches is an old Texas city (it's advertised as "the oldest town in Texas") with a funny name. In 1912, a vaudeville-touring Groucho Marx declared that
Nacanowhere or Naconowhere or Nacognowhere (Nacogdoches nickname)
The city of Nacogdoches claims to be the "oldest town in Texas," but it's not especially big (compared to Dallas or Houston). Some Texans consider Nacogdoches to be a…
Jacob’s Rail (Veloway in Austin)
The Veloway is a 3.1-mile paved trail in southwest Austin for bicycle and rollerblade traffic only. According to the 1998 Austin Chronicle (below), a particularly steep hill in the Veloway has been…