Aunt Samantha (wife of Uncle Sam)
"Uncle Sam" has symbolized the "United States" (both have the initials "U.S.") since 1812. It wasn't until 100 years later that anyone thought to give him a wife.…
Alphebetical for "a"
Aunt Sammy (sister of Uncle Sam)
“Aunt Sammy” was a radio character created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics in 1926 to educate homemakers. The show was renamed…
Aurophobia (fear of gold)
"Aurophobia" means the fear of gold. (The symbol of gold is "au" for aurum.) The term was almost never used until the James Bond film Goldfinger (1964), when it was reported in…
Austerian (austerity + Austrian school of economics)
The word "austerian" (sometimes capitalized as "Austerian"), meaning someone who advocates "austerity" measures, became popular in June 2010. "Austerian"…
Austerical (austerity + hysterical)
"Austerical" (austerity + hysterical) is a term used by those who criticize austerity measures. "How do the Austerical Auks expect the private sector to create jobs in a period when…
Austex or AusTex or Aus-Tex (Austin, Texas)
"Austex" (or "AusTex" or "Aus-Tex") is a name formed from "Austin" and 'Texas." Walker's Austex Chile Company existed in Austin from the 1910s…
Austin (summary)
The city of Austin was named after Stephen F. Austin (1793-1836), known as the "Father of Texas." A small village on the Colorado river was originally called Waterloo; it was selected as…
Austin Comical (Austin Chronicle nickname)
The Austin Chronicle is a weekly alternative newspaper published in Austin, Texas since 1981. The Chronicle has been -- infrequently -- called the Comical since at least 1997. The Houston Chronicle…
Austin: It’s what the rest of the country had in mind (Austin slogan)
"Austin: It's what the rest of the country had in mind" was a short-lived slogan for the city of Austin, created by the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau in 1990. As one writer…
Austinite (cocktail)
The Brown Bar in Austin makes a drink called the "Austinite" -- chilled vodka (Tito's Handmade Vodka, from Austin) and jalapeño olives. The drink isn't known anywhere else, but…
Austinite (inhabitant of Austin)
"Austinite" is the name of an inhabitant of Austin, Texas. The name "Austinite" has been cited in print since at least 1849. Wikipedia: DemonymAustin → Austinite Wikipedia:…
Austinpreneur (Austin + entrepreneur)
Austinpreneur (Austin + entrepreneur) might refer to any entrepreneur in Austin, Texas. Joshua Baer has had the website austinpreneur since at least 2009 and is most often associated with the term.…
Austintatious (Austin-tatious)
Austin is the capital of Texas; perhaps some people feel that it's "ostentatious." The term "Austintatious" (or "Austin-tatious" or sometimes spelled…
Australita
Australita = Australia + Nolita. There's not much on "Australita" now. The article below reviews the Austalian restaurants The Sunburnt Cow (137 Avenue C, between 8th and 9th…
Author’s Row (Jane Street in West Village, Manhattan)
Jane Street in the West Village of Manhattan, between Greenwich Avenue and Eighth Avenue (or Hudson Street), is sometimes called "Author's Row" because of the many famous writers who…
Autism (summary)
My sister has a son with "autism." On October 12, 2002, I first posted this to the American Dialect Society list, then re-posted it to alt.support.autism. The Oxford English Dictionary…
Auto Show
The New York Auto Show (now the New York International Auto Show) began in Madison Square Garden in the 19th century as "The Bicycle and Automobile Show." It remains one of New…
Autograt (automatic gratuity)
An "autograt" (automatic gratuity) is a gratuity (or "tip") that is automatically added to a bill, rather than a gratuity given at the customer's discretion. Many…
Autohoaxer; Autohoaxing
An "autohoaxer" is someone who believes that nearly everything that is shown on the mainstream media is a hoax. "The Hoaxer Movement - The Insanity of the Everything is a Hoax Crowd.…
Automat (or, Automated Restaurant)
The "Automat" is a German invention from 1896, originally called the "automated restaurant." Horn & Hardart opened the first American "Automat" in Philadelphia in…