Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
The African Diaspora Film Festival began in 1993. Anthology Film Archives is the host in November 2006. In August 2006, Riverside Church presented the First Annual African Diaspora Summer Film…
Key Lime Pie (forthcoming). (Oxford English Dictionary)Key lime orig. and chiefly U.S. (also with lower-case initial), a variety of lime naturalized in the Florida Keys and distinguished by its…
The drink of the famed Kentucky Derby is the mint julep. The Florida Derby (at Gulfstream Park) has its own drink -- the Derby Daiquiri. Cocktail.com (below) asserts that the "Derby…
"SoFlo" is "South Florida." The name, perhaps, was influenced by the trendy 1960s abbreviation for "South of Houston" in New York City, "Soho," that has…
"Cigar City" is still a nickname of the city of Tampa, but its cigar days ended in 1959 when Fidel Castro took power and trade with Cuba halted. Cuba sent its tobacco to both Tampa and…
"Little Havana" was the name of a brand of cigars, then became the name of a section of Miami (FL), and then also became the name of a section of Union City (NJ). The Union City version…
"Miami Beach is where neon goes to die" is a popular quotation by comedian Lenny Bruce, first recorded in the Saturday Review of May 20, 1972. The slight problem is that Lenny Bruce died…
It has been said that there are three seasons in Florida -- "orange, vegetable and invalid." It's also been said that Floridians "live in yams in the summer and Yankees in the…
"Life's too short to live in Dallas" is a popular Fort Worth saying, seen on 1990s T-shirts and bumper stickers. Another saying is: "Life's too short to live in Houston,…
"H-Town" ia hip-hop nickname for the city of Houston. Several cities were called "h-town" in CB language that existed in the 1970s. However, hip-hop probably didn't borrow…
Both California and Florida have claimed the title of "American Riviera" from as far back as the 1890s. 7 November 1892, Los Angeles Times, pg. 9:SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.(...)THE AMERICAN…
"Chile con carne" is now the official dish of Texas. "Chile con carne" was the title of an 1857 book by S. Compton Smith, and no earlier citation has yet been found. Wikipedia:…
"Screwston" is a modern nickname for the city of Houston. It's not an official nickname, of course. Urban Dictionary1. ScrewstonN. Houston Texas!Birth & Restin place of the WORLD…
"Magnolia City" is one of the earliest of Houston's many nicknames, dating from the 1870s. Wikipedia: HoustonHouston is the largest city in the state of Texas and the fourth-largest…
Oleander trees lining the streets caused Galveston to be nicknamed "the Oleander City" in the 1870s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galveston,_TexasNickname: "The Oleander…
Missouri Pacific Lines promoted the "Texas Riviera" (Corpus Christi, Galveston, and Houston, also called the Texas Gulf Coast) as far back as the 1920s. 8 February 1910, Dallas Morning…
Florida has been called the land of "newlyweds and nearly deads." The same has been applied to Hawaii, California, Atlantic City, and other places. Google BooksThe Rough Guide to Florida…
"Gateway to Discovery" is on the official Florida quarter. However, "Gateway to the Moon" was used as early as 1958. It's the same idea. Florida coinFloridaThe Florida…
"Florida -- The Rules Are Different Here" was a state promotional slogan that began in 1986. It is still used derisively, whenever someone wants to break the rules. 19 October 1986,…
Publix markets began in Winter Haven, Florida in 1930. The slogan "Where Shopping is a Pleasure" began in 1950. Publix -- HistoryPublix, a privately-held company operating stores in…