“Going to the city” (Manhattan)
People from Brooklyn and Queens are often said to be going to "the city" when they go into Manhattan. New York City has five boroughs. Each borough is part of "the city." The…
Archive for 09/2004
Diamond District (Diamond & Jewelry Way)
In 1982, 47th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues was designated "Diamond & Jewelry Way." Diamond and jewelry stores started moving to 47th Street just after World War II. All those…
Newsradio; “Give us 22 minutes, we’ll give you the world”
WINS and WCBS were two of the very first "all news" radio stations in the country. WCBS has used the word "newsradio." WINS has promised "You give us 22 minutes, we'll…
Fashion Avenue; Fashion Capital of the World
"Fashion Avenue" is now often used instead of "Garment Center" or "Fashion Center." The "Fashion Avenue" street name was born with the "Fashion Capital…
5th Avenue (candy bar)
"5th Avenue" is the mystery candy bar. As the web discussions that follow describe it, the "5th Avenue" candy bar seems like it's been around forever, but no one seems to…
Sayre’s Law: Mayors of NY come from nowhere and go nowhere
Rudy Giuliani is going to hate me for this one, but I didn't make it up. Autumn 1977, PS, vol. 10, no. 4, pg. 511:Perhaps this is the time to record publicly two more of Wallace Sayre's…
Oreo
Did you ever walk by that National Biscuit Company building on the lower west side of Manhattan? Did you know that, since 2002, there's been an "Oreo Way"? As one web site tells it:…
Garment Center (Garment District; Fashion Center; Fashion District)
New York City has a Garment Center (also known as the Garment District, Fashion Center and Fashion District). The unofficially defined neighborhood is in Manhattan, between Fifth Avenue and Ninth…
Wilding (“Central Park Jogger” incident)
In April 1989, a woman was assaulted and raped while she was jogging in Central Park. The press quickly referred to the victim as the "Central Park Jogger" and to the incident with a new…
Gypsy Robe (Legacy Robe)
The "gypsy robe" is a Broadway musical tradition that has nothing to do with the famous musical Gypsy (1959). The robe (a negligee) originally began with the musical Gentlemen Prefer…
Gypsy Cab
The Historical Dictionary of American Slang, A-G has citations for "gypsy," meaning an independent migratory trucker, from 1953 and 1960. A "gypsy cab" is an unlicensed taxi.…
Never/Rarely (N/R subway lines)
The N/R subway lines are often called the "Never" and the "Rarely" because of infrequent service. The slang has been current since at least 1996. The "R" line was…
World Trade Center; Twin Towers
The name "World Trade Center" has been cited since at least 1960 and "Twin Towers" has been cited in print since at least 1964. The World Trade Center opened in 1973 and was…
Off-Off Broadway
"Off-Off Broadway" (or O.O.B.) has really small houses. Did the Caffe Cino start it all, at the end of the 1950s? If not, it was certainly one of the first. Wikipedia: Off-Off…
Tony Award
The "Tony" award goes annually to Broadway's best. The Broadway theatre award was first given out in 1947. The "Tony" is named after Antoinette Perry (1888-1946),…
Obie Award
The "Obie" is the off-Broadway award, created by the Village Voice in 1956. "Obie" stands for "O.B.," or "Off-Broadway." Wikipedia: Obie AwardThe Obie Awards…
Bat Mitzvah
The Bat (or Bas) Mitzvah began in New York City in May 1922. The place was the Society for the Advancement of Judaism (http://www.thesaj.org), located at 15 West 86th Street. The synagogue was run…
Mush (sauerkraut & roll)
No one seems to know much about "mush." The Brooklyn Historical Society Library will re-open in 2005. The Brooklyn Public Library will perhaps continue its digitization of the Brooklyn…
Eurotrash
Did Taki coin the term in the early 1980s? Usage note: it can be Euro-trash, Eurotrash, euro-trash, or eurotrash. It is not a complimentary term for Europeans; refrain from using it. 6 December…
Alternate side of the street parking
"Alternate Side" seems like some ancient tradition carried over from the Dutch, but it's only from about 1950. It's called "street cleaning regulations" now. 17…