Superman; Superstar; Supermodel
New York City is just "super." It all began with Superman, followed by Superstar and Supermodel. SUPERMAN "Superman" was born in Germany in the 1890s, when Friedrich Nietzsche…
Archive for 07/2004
Brooklyn Side, New York Side (tenpins)
The terms "Brooklyn side" and "New York side" in bowling go back to around 1900. "Jersey side" and "New York side" are sometimes used now, but "Jersey…
Stick Ball
The New York City game. Here's "stick ball" and "stickball." 3 September 1922, New York Times, pg. E1:Games of tag, prisoner's base, relay racing, leapfrog races,…
Tar Beach
"Tar Beach" is the rooftop (often composed of tar) where one can sit and get a tan, as if on the beach. The term "tar beach" has been cited in print since at least 1941. New…
Johnny Pump
A "Johnny Pump" is a fire hydrant. It's a name that I don't hear much anymore. I found it first in the following novel, which is full of "classic" New York speech.…
Avenue of Heroes; Canyon of Heroes
New York City celebrates heroes. There were many large "tickertape parades" before the 1940s, but "Avenue of Heroes" and "Canyon of Heroes" seem to both were…
Hip-Hop
"Hip-hop" (also spelled "hip hop" and "hiphop") comes from New York City. Russell Simmons is planning a Hip-Hop Institute, museum and cultural center, probably for…
Big Apples Are Top of the Barrel
The big apples, the best fruit, are "top of the barrel." This was well known by the late 19th century. It was speculated that farmers often placed the best apples on top of the barrel to…
Ragtime
E. L. Doctorow's 1975 novel Ragtime is set in New Rochelle and in New York City. It is not known for certain that "rag time" can be claimed for New York City. However, when the…
Silicon Alley
"Silicon Alley" was always a name more than a place. It was meant to imitate California's Silicon Valley nickname. Mark Stahlman claims that he coined it and that he had Broadway in…
Test of a Champion (Belmont Stakes)
The Belmont Stakes (the final leg of the Triple Crown in horseracing) is called the "Test of the Champion" or the "Test of a Champion." The term "Test of the Champion"…
World’s Most Famous Arena (Madison Square Garden nickname)
Madison Square Garden is "The World's Most Famous Arena." Another, older nickname for Madison Square Garden (originally used in previous Madison Square Garden buildings, such as the…
Big Time and Big Town
"Big Time" and "Big Town" are important parts or precursors of the "Big Apple" nickname. The New York Morning Telegraph was a sports and entertainment newspaper, and…
Variety
The show business newspaper Variety began in New York City in 1905. However, the word "variety" (show business meaning) also comes from New York City. I've been trying to verify the…
Apples and Horses
Horses love apples. This was universally known in the early parts of this century, but it appears to be universally unknown today. I have to constantly explain horses and apples to almost everyone…
New York System 〈Providence, RI “hot dogs”〉
"New York System" is the name for a kind of hot dog sold in Providence, Rhode Island. PROVIDENCE (RI) CITY DIRECTORY 1931 Pg. 575, col. 2: Coney Island Hot Weiners (Theodore Kanelos)…
Blackout Cake
The "Blackout Cake" is the famed product of Brooklyn's Ebinger's Bakery, which began in 1898 and closed its doors in 1972. It's not clear when this was called…
Negimaki or Negimayaki
Japanese food is booming here and this is one of the early New York City classics--or is it? According to John Mariani's Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink (1979): "The word is from…
Lobster Newberg (Lobster Newburg; Lobster Newburgh)
"Lobster Newberg' (also spelled "Lobster Newburg" or "Lobster Newburgh") was invented at Delmonico's restaurant in New York City in the late 1800s. The name…
Who Owns New York?
"Who Owns New York" is a Columbia University fight song, and it goes like this: Oh, who owns New York?Oh, who owns New York?Oh, who owns New York the people say.Why, we own New York!Yes,…