Cream Soda
Cream soda (a carbonated soft drink0 is first cited in America in 1854. Cream soda became popular in New York City, where Hegeman's drug stores sold the product in the 1860s. Dr. Brown's…
Archive for 02/2009
Boston Cooler
A "Boston cooler" means several things: . Vanilla ice cream in a cantaloupe. In the Boston (MA) Journal of 1901, this Boston cooler of vanilla ice cream inside a cantaloupe was described…
“Okey-dokey, artichokey” (“Okie-dokie, artichokie”)
"Okey-dokey" or "okie-dokie' (an extension of "O.K.") has been in use since the 1930s. "Okey-dokey, artichokey" (also "Okie-dokie, artichokie") has…
Arnold Palmer or Half-and-Half (lemonade + iced tea)
An "Arnold Palmer" (named after the famed golfer) is a drink of half lemonade (sometimes pink lemonade) and half iced tea. The drink is also called a "half-and-half," although…
Crabmeat Remick (Crab Meat Remick)
Crabmeat Remick (or "crab meat Remick" or "crab Remick") was created at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, about 1920, by chef Nestor Lattard. Lattard frequently named dishes…
Peanut Gallery
A "peanut gallery" is the top balcony of a theater -- the cheapest seats with usually the furthest views of the stage, and where the crowd often got rowdy. The term "peanut…
“Never say diet”
"Never say die" is a phrase cited in print from at least 1814. "Never say diet" has been the title of several weight-reducing books and articles, including a 1980 book by…
“Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we diet”
"Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die" is an old saying. "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we diet" is an American variant, cited in print from at least 1904.…
“There is a lot more juice in a grapefruit than meets the eye”
Eating a grapefruit with a spoon often results in plenty of unwelcome squirts. The joke that a grapefruit has more juice than "meets the eye" has been a popular one since at least 1931,…
“If you were my husband, I’d poison your coffee” (Nancy Astor to Churchill?)
The following joke is frequently told about Nancy Astor (1879-1964) and Winston Churchill (1874-1965). Astor supposedly said: "if I were your wife, I'd put poison in your coffee!"…
Crabmeat Dewey or Crab Meat Dewey (Crab Meat a la Dewey)
"Crabmeat Dewey or "crab meat Dewey" ("crabmeat a la Dewey" or "crab meat a la Dewey") was a specialty of two gone-but-not forgotten New York City restaurants --…
“Hot diggety dog” (“Hot diggity dog”)
"Hot diggety dog" (or "hot diggity dog" or "hot dickety dog," among other spellings) is a slang extension of "hot dog." Frequently, the "dog" is…
“Coffee (n): break fluid”
"Coffee" has been defined as "break fluid" -- a pun on the terms "coffee break" and "brake fluid." The saying is sold on coffee mugs (of course) and has been…
“A morning without coffee is like sleep”
An advertisement that ran in the 1970s told people that "A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine." What is a morning without coffee? "A morning without coffee is…
Oxford English Dictionary “Big Apple” definition (September 2008)
In September 2008, the Oxford English Dictionary added a full "Big Apple" definition. I contributed to some of this, but did not write the definition. (I wasn't even given a…
“Recipe: A series of step-by-step instructions for preparing ingredients you forgot to buy…’
"Recipe -- A series of step-by-step instructions for preparing ingredients you forgot to buy in utensils you don't own to make a dish the dog won't eat the rest of." This…
“How do you like them apples?”
"How do you like them apples?" (or "How do you like those apples?") means "How do you like that? or "What do you think of that?" The circumstances…
“Forget love—I’d rather fall in chocolate”
"Forget love -- I'd rather fall in chocolate" (or "Forget love -- I want to fall in chocolate") is a popular saying around Valentine's Day. The saying is usually given…
“Dieting is wishful shrinking”
"Wishful thinking" is wanting an event to happen and, perhaps, ignoring painful realities. The term "wishful thinking" is cited in the early 1900s. "Reducing is wishful…
“A diet is the penalty we pay for exceeding the feed limit”
"A diet is the penalty we pay for exceeding the feed limit" (or, "Dieting is the penalty for exceeding the feed limit") is a food pun on the familiar "exceeding the speed…