Chili Gravy (Chile Gravy)
"Chili gravy" (or "chile gravy") has been called the soul of Tex-Mex. It's popularly served with enchiladas (and is sometimes called "enchilada sauce"), but is…
Archive for 12/2007
Texas Exit (traffic term)
A "Texas exit" is made when a vehicle exits a freeway or highway (usually when traffic is backed up, such as during rush hours or after a traffic accident) by driving across the…
Bat City (Austin nickname)
Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge was rehabilitated in 1982. Hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats chose the under-side of the bridge to sleep during the daytime, and the city of…
Rum Rita or Rumrita (cocktail)
A "Rum Rita" (or "Rumrita") is a "Margarita" cocktail, with rum included instead of tequila. In 2000, there was a tequila shortage and restaurants were facing…
“What’s the fastest way to the hospital?”/“Just say something bad about Texas!” (joke)
Don't say something bad about Texas to a Texan. There's a joke that this is "the fastest way to get to the hospital." 30 June 1954, Mexia (TX) Daily News, "The Way It Seems…
“Acres and acres, and she’s all mine!” (Texas size joke)
Everything's bigger in Texas, but this joke is a little extreme. Google BooksWhy, When I Was A Kid...Autobiographical Ramblingsby James R. PalmerVictoria, British Columbia: Trafford…
Texas Heart Shot (hunting shot)
A "Texas heart shot" is a hunting term for shooting at the tail (buttocks region) of the animal. The femoral artery is aimed for, with a bullet (or arrow) penetrating the length of an…
Cowboys and Culture (Fort Worth slogan)
Fort Worth has been called "Cowtown" and "Where the West begins." Beginning at least 1974, the Fort Worth Convention and Visitor's Bureau advertised the city's…
Tacos de Trompo (Tacos Arabes)
Tacos de Trompo (also called Tacos Arabes) is another name for Tacos al Pastor. "Trompo" is Spanish for "(spinning) top," and meat is placed on a "trompo" similarly to…
Tortilla Soup or Sopa de Tortilla (Aztec Soup or Sopa Azteca)
Tortilla Soup (Sopa de Tortilla) is often called Aztec Soup (Sopa Azteca) in Mexico. Tortilla soup is one of the most popular soups in Texas; El Mirador in San Antonio is famous for its Sopa Azteca…
Tostada (Tostado)
"Tostada" (or the less-used "tostado") is simply Spanish for "toasted." By the 1930s, tostadas (fried tortillas) were advertised as "original Mexican corn…
“All broth and no beans”
"All broth and no beans" is another way for a Texan to say "All hat and no cattle." In other words, "all puffery and no substance." The phrase doesn't appear to…
Cream Gravy
Texans love cream gravy (sometimes called "pan gravy" or "country gravy"). Cream gravy is famously served with chicken fried steak, but it's also served with biscuits,…
“Fine as cream gravy”
"Fine as cream gravy" appears on many recent (post-1990) lists of Texas sayings, but pre-1990 citations are few. Possibly, the phrase began as "good gravy" and then expanded to…