Carpocalypse (car + apocalypse); Carmageddon (car + Armageddon)
"Carmageddon" (car + Armageddon) is the title of a computer game, trademarked since 1997; "Carpocalyse Now"(car + apocalypse) is the title of a computer game, trademarked since…
Alphebetical for "c"
Carriage Trade
"Carriage trade" means business with wealthy customers (such as those who arrive in expensive carriages). The term "carriage trade" has been cited in print since at least this…
Carrolltonian (inhabitant of Carrollton)
"Carrolltonian” is the name of an inhabitant of Carrollton, Texas. The name “Carrolltonian” has been cited in print since at least 1927. Wikipedia: Carrollton, TexasCarrollton is a city…
Carrot-and-Stick (Stick-and-Carrot)
The "carrot-and-stick" approach was popularized by the article "The Carrot and the Stick" in The Economist of June 29, 1946. In the 19th century, several written sources…
Carrot-Raisin Salad
"Carrot-raisin salad" is a simple salad of shredded carrots and raisins, with mayonnaise or salad dressing. The origin of the salad is unknown, but the name has been cited in print since…
Carry/hold a torch for someone
Does "carry/hold a torch for someone" come from the Statue of Liberty? All we know for certain is the the phrase was used in Vanity Fair (NY) in 1927. Singers of smoldering music were…
Carthaginian (inhabitant of Carthage, Texas)
"Carthaginian” is the name of an inhabitant of Carthage, Texas. The name “Carthaginian” has been cited in print since at least 1909. “Carthaginian,” of course, originally refers to a…
Cartoon News Network (Cable News Network or CNN nickname)
CNN began in 1980, with the letters representing "Cable News Network." The disparaging nickname "Cartoon News Network" has been cited in print since at least October 2000, but…
Caruso (cocktail)
The opera star Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) gave his name to the Caruso Cocktail -- gin, vermouth and crème de menthe. Most cocktail accounts agree that the Caruso cocktail had its origins in New…
Carvel (Flying Saucer, Wednesday is Sundae, et al.)
Carvel has been celebrating its 70th anniversary (from 1934). Carvel was a much bigger presence (almost without competition) thirty and forty years ago than it is today. "Flying Saucers,"…
Carwashero (carwash worker)
A "carwashero" (plural "carwasheros") is a carwash worker. The term was printed in the Los Angeles (CA) Times on March 23, 2008, describing the Spanish-speaking immigrants who…
Cary Grant (cocktail)
The Cary Grant cocktail was named after the actor Cary Grant (1904-1986). Grant drank many cocktails on film, but it's not known if he ever had the cocktail named after him. (Grant's…
Casedemic (case + -demic)
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic resulted in a new work -- "case-demic" or "casedemic." This is where there are positive tests for COVID-19 (often a false positive), but a…
Cash Cow
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Cash cowIn business, a cash cow is a product or a business unit that generates unusually high profit margins: so high that it is responsible for a large amount…
Cash on the Sidelines
"Cash/money on the sidelines" is like a football player "on the sidelines" (that is, not in the field of play). Cash might be kept "on the sidelines" to ride out a…
Cashtration (cash + castration)
"Cashtration" or "cashstration" (cash + castration) is a jocular portmanteau term that combines money (or the lack of it) and impotence. The term "cashtration"…
Casting Couch
A "casting couch" is a couch that a director or a producer uses to seduce actors or actresses who want acting parts in their productions. The term apparently started on Broadway in New…
Casuey (South Texas term for “bucking”)
"Casuey" is a South Texas term for the "bucking" or "pitching" of a horse. The term (origin unknown) is rarely used today, even in South Texas. Cowboy Poetry at the…
Cat Alley (Cannon Street)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Google BooksReport of the Council of Hygiene and Public Health of the Citizens Association of Nrw York Upon the Sanitary Condition of the CityNew York, NY: D, Appleton and…
Cat Café
A "cat café" is a place where people can drink coffee and also pet cats; in some cities, owning a cat is expensive. The world's first cat café opened in Taiwan in 1998. In April…