South Dallas (North Austin nickname)
North Austin is a place of suburban shopping centers, like the Arboretum and the Domain. Some people claim that North Austin doesn't have the artistic, bohemian feel of South Austin. North…
Archive for 02/2008
Suicide Alley (I-35 lower deck in Austin)
I-35 in Austin splits into an upper deck and a lower deck. The split is confusing to drivers not familiar with it, and accidents are frequent. One writer (below) states that the lower deck is…
Elena Ruz Sandwich (Elena Ruiz Sandwich; Elena Ruth; Marie Elena; Cuban Turkey Sandwich)
The Elena Ruz sandwich (sometimes called "Elena Ruiz" or "Elena Ruth" or "Marie Elena" or simply "Cuban turkey sandwich") usually consists of turkey, cream…
BIC (Bronx Irish Catholic)
BIC is a ballpoint pen that was introduced in 1950. In the 1950s and 1960s, "B.I.C." (usually pronounced as letters and not a word) stood for "Bronx Irish Catholic."…
Chicharrones (pork cracklings)
Chicharrones are pork cracklings (deep-fried pork skins). They are usually eaten as snacks and are popular in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. Glossary - Mexican food recipes, cooking…
Slider or Slyder (mini-hamburger)
"Sliders" (or "slyders") are mini-hamburgers emerged on the New York restaurant scene in the 1990s. "Slyders" have been trademarked by the White Castle restaurant…
Snake on Stilts (tall, thin person)
"Snake on stilts" is an old West term for a tall, thin person. Texas was known for its many snakes, and it's easy to see how it could color the cowboy's language. Old West…
“You Can Smell Our Pits From Miles Away” & “I Got Sauced at the Lick” (The Salt Lick Bar-B-Que)
The Salt Lick barbecue opened for business in Driftwood (near Austin) in 1969; it quickly became famous and now has other locations. One slogan on The Salt Lick's website is:…
“Defining deviancy down” (Daniel Patrick Moynihan)
"Defining deviancy down" was the title of an essay by New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan in The American Spectator (vol. 62, no. 1, winter 1993, pp. 17-30). The subtitle was…
Texas Trash (chocolate-covered candy)
Susie's South Forty Confections of Midland has delivered "Texas Trash" to President George W. Bush. This "Texas Trash" is not the Chex mix cereal dish, but "a custom…
Mixiote
Entry in progress. Penniless lexicographer taking a break -- B.P. Glossary - Mexican food recipes, cooking termsMixiote Thin parchment-like membrane of the maguey, or the dish made by wrapping…
Skunk Egg (onion)
"Skunk eggs" were what cowboys called onions. The term "skunk egg" appears in many collections of cowboy lingo after 1950, but pre-1950 citations are rare. 10 May 1943, Ogden…
Buck nun (bachelor)
A "buck nun" is an old West term (cowboy slang) for a bachelor. One source below states that a "stud horse" is an opposite term. (Dictionary of American Regional English)buck…
Basque Barbecue (Basque Barbeque)
A "Basque barbecue" is a lamb barbecue. A significant number of sheepmen (mostly in California and Nevada) were from the Basque region. The Basque barbecue dates to at least the early…
Bocoles
Bocoles are a form of gordita that are found in the Huasteca region of Mexico (San Luis Potosi and Veracruz). These masa (corn dough) and pork lard snacks have various fillings. Bocoles are rarely…
Pellizcada (“pinched” tortilla appetizer)
Pellizcada (Spanish for "pinched") is a Mexican appetizer similar to a gordita and a chalupa. Tortillas dough is "pinched" up around the edges to contain a filling, and then…
Tejolote (stone pestle)
A tejolote is a stone pestle, used with a molcajete (mortar) to grind food. It is a traditional piece of Mexican cookery. (Oxford English Dictionary)molcajete, n.A mortar, usually made of stone or…
Texile (Texas Exile)
When a Texan is away from Texas (or, conversely for example, a New Orleans citizen escapes Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and moves to Texas), the term "Texas exile" or "Texile" is…
Envueltos (tortilla “envelopes”)
Envueltos (Spanish for "enveloped" or "wrapped") have been described as fried tacos. Tortillas are wrapped around a filling (such as meat) and then fried. "Envueltos"…
Enganchadoras (female “grabbers” or people smugglers)
"Enganchadoras" are "female grabbers" who are involved in the business of smuggling people across the Mexican border and into the United States. The term…