Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 38,000 entries.
"...the New York Times, the Daily News..." So sang Billy Joel, when in a "New York State of Mind." The New York Daily News began as the Illustrated Daily News. The New York…
Remember the character of Max Bialystok in The Producers? The "bialy" was probably named in New York City. Its origins are Bialystok, Poland, but it was Polish immigrants in New York City…
"SoHo" means SOuth of HOuston Street. The Oxford English Dictionary has no mention of New York's Soho, but has this for London: The name of a district in the West End of London,…
DUMBO = Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass. DUMBO? A New York City neighborhood named after a 1941 Disney movie about a flying elephant with large ears? The name "DUMBO" originated in…
New York claims "pizza" (from Naples, Italy) for the rest of this country and hemisphere. Here are some early citations. 18 February 1866, New York Times, pg. 6:Recollections of New-York…
The famous New Yorker cartoon was on December 8, 1928, with a drawing by Carl Rose and text by E. B. White: Young Mother: "It's broccoli, dear."Young Daughter: "I say it's…
New York takes the molten chocolate cake? This is from Arthur Schwartz, as cited on e-Gullet: According to Jean-Georges, the cake was not deliberately developed but the result of a mistake. He…
"Dem Bums" (or "them bums" or "our bums") were the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team and their fans. American cartoonist Willard Mullin of the New York (NY)…
New York City has had a "traffic court" since at least 1916. (Oxford English Dictionary)traffic court orig. U.S., a court of law with jurisdiction over motoring offences.1919 Evening Star…
A "play street" is a street closed to vehicular traffic so that children can play. "Play streets" -- cited in New York since 1915 -- usually are designated during the summer,…
The next time you're at La Guardia airport, mention that someone, somewhere there, should serve this dish. 21 August 1937, Lima (Ohio) News, pg. 7, col. 3:Goin' to town with MARK…
The "meat packing district" on the west side of Manhattan, around 14th Street, has turned into a "meet" market almost overnight. The new name is "Mepa" or…
"Sunny side up!" Where does that come from? New York City (and Chicago) provided the nation with a hash house lingo that was spoken for over fifty years. Most of the lingo is lost to…
Chicken soup for the New York soul. (Dictionary of American Regional English)Jewish peniclllin nChicken souo.1968 DARE (Qu. HH30, Things that are nicknamed for different nationalities) Inf NJ30,…
In the mid-1890s, Joseph Pulitzer's newspaper, the World, published The Yellow Kid. This is sometimes called the first comic in a newspaper. Joseph Pulitzer's and William Randolph…
New York State is the "Empire State," and New York City is the "Empire City." New York City's tallest building for many years was the Empire State Building. "Empire…
The Indian restaurant "Curry in a Hurry," at Lexington Avenue and 28th Street, helped give rise to the neighborhood nickname "Curry Hill." The neighborhood is just south of…
Koreatown is a new name for the area around West 32nd Street. A "Korea Way" street sign was dedicated in 1995. The Koreatown name is similar to Chinatown, although "Little…
A "sweatshop" or "sweat shop" or "sweating shop" is a place where people work for very little pay ("sweat" wages). In New York and Chicago and Boston, the…
New York City is just "super." It all began with Superman, followed by Superstar and Supermodel. SUPERMAN "Superman" was born in Germany in the 1890s, when Friedrich Nietzsche…