“New York” and “Manhattan” and “Brooklyn” scatalogical terms
The following are some scatalogical ("dirty") terms that use "New York" and "Manhattan" and "Brooklyn." None of them is especially popular as far as I know.…
Archive for 04/2005
Big Pineapple (Australian icon)
Australia has "the Big Pineapple." It also has a "Big Banana" and a "Big Prawn" and a "Big Merino." It's a big country. "The Big Pineapple" is…
Big Pineapple (San José, Costa Rica nickname)
San José, Costa Rica is sometimes called "the Big Pineapple." I was there and never heard this, but it's in some tourist literature so it's gotta be true. Wikipedia: San José,…
New York Whitehall (boating)
The "New York Whitehall" rowboat was named after New York City's Whitehall Street. The boat dates back to about the 1820s, but is rarely made anymore.…
“New York’s Best Kept Secret” (Century 21)
The Century 21 store (across from what used to be the World Trade Center) wasn't "New York's Best Kept Secret." Everyone knew to go there! Century 21 is over 40 years old. The…
Goodfellas & Wise Guys
Goodfellas was a popular 1990 movie, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, and Paul Sorvino. The screenplay was by Nicholas Pileggi, based…
“Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” (1932)
Say, don't you remember they called me Al,It was Al all the time.Why don't you remember, I'm your pal --Buddy, can you spare a dime? "Brother, can you spare a dime?"…
Knickerbocker Glory (Knickerbocker Sundae)
The Knickerbocker Glory (or, Knickerbocker Sundae) has a New York name, but you'll probably have to go to the United Kingdom to get it. No one knows much about the history of…
New York Trigger
A "New York trigger" is a trigger on guns to make it harder to fire. This was intended to cut down on accidental shootings. A "New York trigger" is harder to pull because…
New York Reload (a second loaded gun)
A "New York reload" is when the first gun runs out of ammunition and you "reload" with a second fully loaded gun. The term appears to date from the 1980s or early 1990s.…
New York Breakfast (cold pizza; cigarettes & coffee)
Some localities have a standard humorous "breakfast." There are jokes about the "Irish breakfast" (Lucky Charms with Bailey's) and the "Kentucky breakfast"…
New York Stop (skating)
"New York Stop" is a skating stop, even more difficult that a "power stop." I suppose it's called "New York" because it's the most difficult. It appears to…
New York Screwdriver (driving in screws with a hammer)
Driving in wood screws with a hammer is called a "New York screwdriver." It's the brute force technique. http://www.loganact.com/tips/shopsay.htmNew York Screwdriver -> driving…
New York Crumb Cake
The late and lamented Ebinger's Bakery of Brooklyn probably created the tradition of the "New York crumb cake." Entenmann's now makes "New York crumb cakes" by the…
Big D (Dallas, Texas nickname)
"Big D," a nickname of Dallas, Texas, has been cited in print since at least the January 15, 1933, when it was printed in the Dallas (TX) Morning News. Texas broadcaster Lee Myres…
Garden Apartment
The Queensboro Corporation developed the country's first "garden apartments" in Jackson Heights in the 1910s. The corporation's founder and director was E. A. MacDougall. A…
Big Smoke (London, UK nickname)
"The Big Smoke" (or, "the Great Smoke") is London, England -- a city known for its fog. "The Big Smoke" dates earlier than "the Big Apple," but London's…
Big Potato (Boise, Idaho nickname)
Both Boise (the city) and Idaho (the state) have been called "the Big Potato." It's not a formal nickname, but it's another natural extension of the "Big Apple"…
Tampa: The Big Guava
After the 1970s popularity of "the Big Apple," everybody started getting into the act. "Big Guava" (for Tampa, Florida) is from the 1970s, but it remains popular. Tampa…
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…