SCRIE (pronounced “scree”) and SCHE (pronounced “she”); DRIE
SCRIE (pronounced "scree") is the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption program. SCHE (pronounced "she") is the Senior Citizen Homeowners' Exemption program. DRIE is the…
Archive for 06/2005
“She’s a Latin From Manhattan” (1935)
"She a Latin From Manhattan" was written for the film Go Into Your Dance (1935). The song was from the great songwriting team of Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (words) and performed by…
Bouncer
The "bouncer" is American slang and appears to have originated in New York. In England, the same person might have been called a "chucker-out." (Oxford English…
Crossing Guard
The railroad "crossing guard" appears to date from the 1880s and 1890s. The school "crossing guard" appears to date from the 1920s and 1930s. The first school "crossing…
Bicycle “Dooring”
A cyclist gets "doored" when riding down the street and a vehicle (usually parked) suddenly opens a door and obstructs the bike path. The term appears to have been first used in San…
“Hooverville” (1930)
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, shacks across the country were called "Hoovervilles" after then-President Herbert Hoover. This appears to have begun in Chicago, not New York.…
Edifice Complex
"Edifice Complex" (a pun on "Oedipus Complex") has long been associated with New York City and State. Governor Nelson Rockefeller's complex of state office buildings in…
ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure)
"ULURP ("you lurp!") is the "Uniform Land Use Review Procedure" that goes before City Planning, the borough presidents, and the community boards. Real estate is very…