Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 41,000 entries.
This one has made the rounds of several internet joke files: Q: How many Aggies/Texans does it take to eat an armadillo?A: Three. One to eat the creature, and two to stop traffic. Google Groups:…
In the spirit of "the Big Apple" itself, OTB has run the "Big Apple Triple" (New York State's version of the triple crown) since 1999. The first leg is the Mike Lee Stakes…
"Texas crabgrass" (or "Texas crab grass") is a dish that consists of spinach (the green "grass") and crabmeat. It is not known when or where the dish originated, but…
"Panchos" are "nachos" with more things added, such as beans and guacamole (or sour cream). Some say that panchos also contain a different type of tortilla chip, not simply the…
The city of Austin, Texas has called itself the "Live Music Capital of the World" since 1985, when the Austin Convention and Visitors Council used that nickname in an advertisement in…
D. L. Jardine's food company has called its cayenne pepper hot sauce "Texas Champagne" since 1980. Champagne is not hot; what's meant is that it's a famous food product of…
"Chalupas" are popular served at Taco Bell and other Mexican-American restaurants, but they're not new. Versions of the "chalupa" ("boat" or "canoe" in…
It's been said that in Texas one can "see farther and see less than anywhere else in the world." The phrase has also been applied to Montana and Alaska. It appears to date from 1904,…
Inter-state humor involving "sucks" and "blows" is not unique to Texas and Oklahoma and New Mexico. A popular joke is: "Q" Why doesn't Texas fall into the Gulf of…
The classic directions to go from California to Texas is to go "east until you smell it, south until you step in it." The directions were used in a joke involving Dallas and Fort Worth…
The Georgia Bulldogs football game against the Florida Gators, held at the neutral site of Jacksonville since 1933, has been called "The World's Largest Cocktail Party." In 2005,…
"Land of Good Living" was a short-lived Florida slogan of the 1950s. 10 July 1955, Chicago Daily Tribune, pg. J8 ad:Explore All Florida...land of good livingState of Florida 2 January…
The exact origin and reason for the name "hush puppies" remain a mystery. It's known that "corn dodgers" were eaten all throughout the South. Pinpointing the origin of when…
"Grits and Grunts" is a famous Florida dish, perhaps not to the liking of all. A "grunt" is a fish that often makes that sound; many people prefer other fish than grunts.…
A "Florida room" is a room with lots of sunshine. It can be a screened porch or a room with lots of windows. The term is used in several states, but the Dictionary of American Regional…
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…