Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 39,000 entries.
Western Beef is a Queens-based chain of meat supermarkets. 'We know the neighborhood!" is its (apparently un-trademarked) slogan. http://www.westernbeef.com/ As part of an effective…
The annual Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden is a new event, but an increasingly popular one. http://www.nybg.org/plan_your_visit/event_detail.php?id_event=6402/25/2006 - 4/2/2006The…
C-Town supermarkets calls itself "Supermarkets for Savings." (Trademark)Word Mark C TOWN Goods and Services IC 029. US 046. G & S: BACON AND EGGS. FIRST USE: 19750600. FIRST USE IN…
"Wonder City" or "Wonder City of the World" has been applied to many cities and has, sometimes, been the nickname of New York City. The nickname was popular in the early 1900s…
"Never let them see you sweat!" was coined by a "Dry Idea" deodorant commercial, one of which featured New York-based designer Donna Karan. The phrase "no sweat" was…
"I will bring you down to Chinatown!" is what actor Robert De Niro said to Ben Stiller in the film comedy Meet the Parents (2000). De Niro meant that he would rough Stiller up (maybe with…
Lucille Roberts began operating health clubs in the 1970s. The company's slogan has been "Fitness for Women" or "Fitness for Women by Women."…
"Patrolio" is a person in the New York Fire Patrol. The Fire Patrol dates to the early 1800s, but discussions were held in 2006 to disband the organization.…
"Mr. Big" is any important person. The nickname was popularized by the HBO show Sex and the City, but "Mr. Big" was used much earlier than that. (Oxford English Dictionary)Mr…
Burritoville is a Mexican food chain that began in 1992 on 78th Street and First Avenue. There is no town of Burritoville, but each Burritoville restuarant declares a population of 208 and an…
A "yippie" is a member of the Youth International Party. The name was a take-off on "hippie" and was applied to New York figures such as Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin.…
The Old Homestead steakhouse is in the heart of the meatpacking district, at 56 Ninth Avenue. It claims to be New York's oldest steakhouse (since 1868). A steer over the entrance proclaims:…
Who can forget Sy Sperling's tv commercials confessing: "I'm not only the Hair Club president, I'm also a client!" http://www.hairclub.com/companyinfomens.htmBeforeFor much…
Castro Convertibles is a New York City company that began on West 21st Street. It advertised heavily in a new medium called television, and it sold a product perfect for New York -- the…
"Spritzer" is a "splash," from the German word. It is usually a mixture of wine and soda water, but the word can be used for other drink combinations. It was popular among the…
A "drugstore cowboy" was someone who hung around the drugstores, then popular with the soda fountain crowd. The term had long thought to have been coined by New York cartoonist Thomas A.…
"Janssen wants to see you!" was the famous slogan of August Janssen's Hofbrau Haus. It had once been of New York's most famous German establishments -- in a city that once had a…
New York has the Finest (police), Bravest (fire), Strongest (sanitation), and Boldest (corrections). Other, similar nicknames are less established. "Join New York's Brightest -- Teach…
The "Broadway soda" is a combination of coffee an chocolate. It isn't served anymore, but it probably should be! http://www.brooklyn.net/my_bklyn/my_bklyn_334.htmlAnd I remember…
A "cliff dweller" is a term (popular in the 1890s) for a resident of an apartment building. The term appeared in simultaneous 1893 publications describing "cliff dwellers" of…