Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
When you stop at a traffic light in Austin, you might see someone approach you with a sign: "LEAR JET NEEDS FUEL." Ronald Korne possibly coined/popularized this one. There are quite a few…
"Since Christ was a cowboy" (less frequently given as "since Jesus was a cowboy") means "a long time." A similar phrase is "since Hector was a pup." The…
Austin prides itself as the "Live Music Capital of the World." When a rock 'n' roll legend dies, he or she might go to "rock 'n' roll heaven." In Austin, if…
"Chopped and screwed" (or "screwed and chopped" or any of several other names) is a type of hip-hop music that became popular in Houston, mainly from the late DJ Screw…
Non-fans of the Houston Astros baseball club sometimes call them the "Asstros" or "ASStros." The derogatory term has been recorded frequently starting from the late 1990s, with…
The borough of Staten Island has long had a large Italian-American population. "Staten Italy," however, is a recent nickname for the borough. Wikipedia: Staten IslandStaten Island…
"Texas Tuscan" is a style of architecture -- often in the Texas Hill Country such as west Austin -- the attempts to resemble the Tuscan villas. "Texas Tuscan" may also apply to…
A "Dallas palace" is what is known to most of Texas as a "big hair house," and known to most of America as a "McMansion." The term "Dallas palace" is used in…
Texas has been known since at least the 1970s and 1980s as a place of "big hair." The Texas version of a "McMansion" is the "big hair house." Wikipedia:…
A "Texas death match" is a wrestling term used to advertise extreme wrestling, first cited in 1955. Early advertisements stated "no fall limits" and "no time limits."…
With a city name like Palestine (in East Texas), comparisons and jokes are inevitable. Wikipedia: Palestine, TexasPalestine (pronounced ˈpæl.ɛs.tin) is a city in Anderson County, Texas, in the…
If you've bet on the wrong horse in an election, there are no worries in Texas. You can always catch the "late train" by making a late election or post-election contribution to the…
A "Yankee dime" is a quick kiss. The term is often said to be from Texas, and said to derive from the Civil War. "Yankee dime" is cited in print from 1846, and is popular…
In the 1960s and 1970s, the area of Eighth Avenue between the Port Authority Bus Terminal (42nd Street) and 59th Street became overrun with teenage prostitutes from the Midwest and was dubbed the…
John Steinbeck traveled across America in 1960 with his dog Charley; he wrote about it in his book, Travels with Charley: In Search of America (1962). Steinbeck didn't much care for Texas, but…
Perryton (in Ochiltree County) was a leading wheat producer, and in 1947 it held the title "Wheatheart of the Nation." ("Wheatheart of the Plains" is also used.) An annual…
Houston is often called "the Bayou City" because of its historic location on the Buffalo Bayou. Short-story writer O. Henry (1852-1910) -- who lived in Texas as well as New York City --…
The city of Houston was planned in 1836, named after war hero Sam Houston. The nickname "Bayou City" comes from Houston's location on the Buffalo Bayou, and is recorded in print from…
After Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans in 2005, several commentators nicknamed that city "Baghdad-on-the-Bayou." The comparison was with Baghdad, Iraq, where a war was…
Many towns in Texas claimed to be the roughest and the toughest in all Texas. For many reasons, the slogan "Toughest Town in Texas" stuck the most to Luling. The slogan is historical and…