Needle Park
"Needle Park" was originally located near the subway stop at Broadway and West 70th Street (Sherman Square), named in the 1960s by the narcotics addicts who used needles there. A February…
Houstonize (“Don’t Houstonize Austin”)
"Houstonize" is the verb form of the name of the city of Houston, fourth largest in population in the United States. "Houstonize" can refer to getting someone acquainted with…
Beef-Head (a Texan)
A resident of Texas was called a "Beef-Head" by at least 1864. The name is related to Texas's famous cattle industry and was similar to "cowboy." "Beef-Heads"…
Crime Heights (Crown Heights, Brooklyn)
Crown Heights in Brooklyn is still known to most people for the three-day "Crown Heights Riots" of August 1991. The name "Crime Heights" became attached to "Crown…
Gatbush (Flatbush)
Gatbush is a hip-hop name for Flatbush (particularly East Flatbush), Brooklyn. "Gat" is slang for "gun," as in "Gatling gun." East Flatbush is, perhaps, not the safest…
NoProPaSo (North of Prospect Park South)
NoProPaSo (North of Prospect Park South) in Flatbush, Brooklyn has been a neighborhood nickname proposed by a blogger "Brenda from Flatbush" (or "Brenda from Brooklyn") since…
Texas Lizzies (Christmas cookies)
"Texas Lizzies" are Christmas cookies, although they can be served at any season. The cookies are sometimes called "Lizzies," "Georgia Lizzies" (when made with peach…
Cookies and Cream (Cookies ‘n Cream; Cookies ‘n Creme)
Blue Bell Ice Cream (the self-styled "little creamery" in Brenham, Texas) blended crushed Oreo cookies with vanilla ice cream and trademarked the name "Cookies 'n Cream" in…
Calf Fries
Calf fries are calf testicles, deep-fried. There are many other names for "calf testicles," including "(Rocky) mountain oysters" or "prairie oysters." "Calf…
Kapusta Soup (Polish Cabbage Soup or Sauerkraut Soup)
"Kapusta" is a Polish word (also used in other European languages) for "cabbage." Riscky's restaurants (Fort Worth, TX and other locations) were founded by Polish…
Honorary Texan
"Honorary Texan" appears on gift items at many Texas tourist shops. It's often a joke item, bestowed on a person who was (unfortunately for him or her) not born in the state of…
“On this site in 1897, nothing happened”
There are plaques and historical markers on many old places that explain the historical significance, but a parody of this is the sign: "On this site in 1897, nothing happened." It is not…
Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich (The Elvis; Velvet Elvis; Elvis Sandwich)
The peanut butter-and-banana sandwich became popular in the Depression years of the 1930s. In June 1957, it was recorded that Elvis Presley's favorite sandwich was peanut butter with mashed…
“I didn’t claw my way to the top of the food chain to eat vegetables”
"I didn't claw my way to the top of the food chain to eat vegetables" was the newsgroup signature of Dwight Tovey in 1991; it is not known if he coined the phrase, which quickly…
“If you don’t like our wings, we’ll give you the bird” (Pluckers)
"If you don't like our wings, we'll give you the bird" is the slogan of Pluckers, a chicken wing restaurant that was originated by University of Texas at Austin students in…
Lene Town (Abilene nickname)
"Lene Town" is a hip-hop nickname for the city of Abilene. There is a "Lene Town" music label in Abilene, and some recordings mention "Lene Town" in either the title…
“World Peace Through Tex-Mex” (El Mercado slogan)
The El Mercado restaurants in Austin have the slogan: "World Peace Through Tex-Mex." The line was also used by Jeff Lessem of the University of Texas on a newsgroup in 1993. The slogan is…
Flaquita (Flaco; Flaquities)
"Flaquita" (from the word "flaco") is Spanish for "little skinny one." It is the opposite of the "gordita," or "little fat one." Trudy's…
Texartini (cocktail)
The Iguana Grill on Lake Travis in Austin, Texas, has a drink called the "Texartini." The Iguana Grill doesn't state the Texartini's ingredients, but provides a fictitious…
Baleada (Honduran burrito)
"Baleadas" are a Honduran version of "burritos." A wheat flour tortilla is folded in half and filled with beans, crumbled cheese and sour cream, and often with other ingredients…