Strap Buckner and the Devil
Strap Buckner (Aylett C. Buckner, 1794-1832) was one of the original 300 settlers of the city of Austin. He was a big man and was famous for slapping citizens on the back very hard, knocking them…
Mozzarepa (mozzarella + arepa)
"Mozzarepa" (or "MozzArepa") is a commercial product that was trademarked in 1996 and combines "mozzarella" (cheese) sandwiched inside an "arepa" (corn-based…
Arepa (“Arepa Lady”)
An "arepa" is a corn-based bread popular in South American countries such as Colombia and Venezuela. The "Arepa Lady" is the popular vendor of arepas in New York City,…
Big A (Aqueduct Racetrack nickname)
Aqueduct racetrack is popularly known as "the Big A." Clark Whelton (a former writer for the Village Voice and member of the mayor's communications office) told me that he believed…
Big Sandy (Belmont Park nickname)
"Big Sandy" is the nickname of the racetrack at Belmont Park, perhaps a reflection of the old 1920s "Big Apple" name for the New York racetracks and the "Big A"…
Dallass (Dallas nickname)
"Dallass" (or "DallASS") is a spelling for some people who do not like the city of Dallas or the Dallas Cowboys. It's sometimes used with "Texass" to form…
Texsucks (Texsux)
"Texsucks" or "Texsux" (sometimes spelled "TexSux" and frequently lowercase "texsucks" and "texsux") is a spelling for some people who just…
Kemp Morgan (legendary superhuman oil driller)
Kemp Morgan is a Paul Bunyan-type of mythological giant, to Texas oil drilling what Pecos Bill is to Texas cowboys. The origin of the Kemp Morgan stories is unknown. The lack of any mention of Kemp…
Cuban Hamburger (Frita)
A "Cuban hamburger" that's served in Florida might look like a hamburger covered with shoestring potatoes, spiced with paprika and onion, and topped with mojito sauce. The…
Pecos Bill (legendary superhuman cowboy)
"Pecos Bill" really did exist and was the nickname of William Rufus Shafter (1835-1906), a United States Army officer. The mythical cowboy "Pecos Bill" appeared in 1923, in the…
Club Sandwich (Club House Sandwich; Clubhouse Sandwich)
The "club sandwich" probably originated at the Union Club of the City of New York in the 1880s. The World (New York, NY) printed on November 18, 1889: "Have you tries a Union Club…
Great Wall of Texas (border wall)
The proposed "Great Wall of Texas" is a border wall to prevent illegal immigration from Mexico. The name borrows from the famous Great Wall of China. In the 1980s, a Great Wall of Texas…
Cheeseburger
Texas has an alleged "Home of the Hamburger" (Athens) and the Cheeseburger Capital of Texas (Friona), but where and when was the cheeseburger invented? There is no doubt that cheese was…
“If you think you can, you can” (Mary Kay Ash?)
The cosmetics founder Mary Kay Ash (1918-2001) is often credited with: "If you think you can, you can. If you think you can, you're right." However, she admitted that she received…
Cheeseburger Capital of Texas (Friona nickname)
Friona in West Texas was declared the "Cheeseburger Capital of Texas" by the legislature in 2007. Tiny Friona had been home to a Cheeseburger Cook-Off and Festival since only 2006 when it…
Norwegian Capital of Texas (Clifton nickname)
Clifton was declared the "Norwegian Capital of Texas" in 1997 by the Texas legislature. Immigration from Norway to Texas started in the 1850s-1860, led by Cleng Peerson (1782-1865).…
“Houston Proud”
"Houston Proud" was a 1986 promotional campaign from the Houston Economic Development Commission to promote the city after oil revenues took a hit on the city's fortunes. It was…
“Git-R-Done” or “Git-‘er-Done” (“Git-R-Dun,” “Git-‘er-Dun,” “G.E.D.”)
"Git-'er-done" (or "git-r-done," git-r-dun," "git-'er-dun") is sometimes called the Texas "G.E.D." (also known as the General Equivalency…
Boot Hill (cemetery for those who “died with their boots on”)
The Wild West had several cemeteries called "Boot Hill" (or "Boots Hill" or "Boothill"), for those who "died with their boots on" (from violence). Hays,…
“Tuck Fexas”
"Tuck Fexas" might have been coined by Oklahoma Sooners fans at the Texas-Oklahoma Red River Rivalry football games. The term is cited in print from at least 1983. See also "Fuck…