Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
The Salt Lick barbecue opened for business in Driftwood (near Austin) in 1969; it quickly became famous and now has other locations. One slogan on The Salt Lick's website is:…
"Defining deviancy down" was the title of an essay by New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan in The American Spectator (vol. 62, no. 1, winter 1993, pp. 17-30). The subtitle was…
Susie's South Forty Confections of Midland has delivered "Texas Trash" to President George W. Bush. This "Texas Trash" is not the Chex mix cereal dish, but "a custom…
Entry in progress. Penniless lexicographer taking a break -- B.P. Glossary - Mexican food recipes, cooking termsMixiote Thin parchment-like membrane of the maguey, or the dish made by wrapping…
"Skunk eggs" were what cowboys called onions. The term "skunk egg" appears in many collections of cowboy lingo after 1950, but pre-1950 citations are rare. 10 May 1943, Ogden…
A "buck nun" is an old West term (cowboy slang) for a bachelor. One source below states that a "stud horse" is an opposite term. (Dictionary of American Regional English)buck…
A "Basque barbecue" is a lamb barbecue. A significant number of sheepmen (mostly in California and Nevada) were from the Basque region. The Basque barbecue dates to at least the early…
Bocoles are a form of gordita that are found in the Huasteca region of Mexico (San Luis Potosi and Veracruz). These masa (corn dough) and pork lard snacks have various fillings. Bocoles are rarely…
Pellizcada (Spanish for "pinched") is a Mexican appetizer similar to a gordita and a chalupa. Tortillas dough is "pinched" up around the edges to contain a filling, and then…
A tejolote is a stone pestle, used with a molcajete (mortar) to grind food. It is a traditional piece of Mexican cookery. (Oxford English Dictionary)molcajete, n.A mortar, usually made of stone or…
When a Texan is away from Texas (or, conversely for example, a New Orleans citizen escapes Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and moves to Texas), the term "Texas exile" or "Texile" is…
Envueltos (Spanish for "enveloped" or "wrapped") have been described as fried tacos. Tortillas are wrapped around a filling (such as meat) and then fried. "Envueltos"…
"Enganchadoras" are "female grabbers" who are involved in the business of smuggling people across the Mexican border and into the United States. The term…
Coyotas have been described as "super-sized sugar cookies" from Sonora, Mexico. They are large, flat, round, and filled with brown sugar, although a "coyotas de manzana" recipe…
"Turkey Manhattan" and "Roast Beef Manhattan" appear to be primarily Indiana dishes, dating from the 1950s. They are open-faced sandwiches, similar to Kentucky's "Hot…
"Vitamin G" (grease) is the essential ingredient in some fast food restaurants, used in making many fried foods. John Kelso of the Austin (TX) American-Statesman used the term…
"Vitamin T" has long been a humorous nickname for "tequila." Many Mexican dishes begin with the letter "T," and "Vitamin T" has come to mean the Mexican (and…
Tlayuda (also spelled "clayuda") is a specialty of Oaxaca, Mexico. Tlayuda/clayuda refers to a large corn tortilla, but it also refers to that same tortilla when topped with beans,…
Biscochitos (or "bizcochitos") are anise seed cookies, often made into a fleur-de-lis shape. In 1989, bizcochitos were named the official state cookie of New Mexico. Biscochos (Spanish…
Most enchiladas in Texas are rolled, but New Mexico is famous for its stacked enchiladas, resembling stacked pancakes. Stacked enchiladas (enchiladas chatas) are also a specialty of Sonora, Mexico.…