South By or Southby (South by Southwest or SXSW)
Austin's "South by Southwest" festival (since 1987) is often referred to by its initials (SXSW). In the 2000s, the festival grew very large, expanding beyond indie bands to include…
Archive for 03/2010
Treasoncrat (treason + bureaucrat/Democrat)
"Treasoncrat" could be a form of the words "treason" and "bureaucrat," but usage usually refers to a "Democrat." Users of "treasoncrat" have…
Shamrock Shake
The green "Shamrock Shake" is a specialty of McDonald's restaurants, usually available only around St. Patrick's Day. McDonald's states that the shake was introduced in…
Shamrock Sandwich
A "shamrock sandwich" is one specialty that is made for St. Patrick's Day. There appears to be no one recipe for the shamrock sandwich; in every decade, the recipes are different.…
Shamrock Cookie
A "shamrock cookie" is one specialty that is made for St. Patrick's Day. Shamrock cookies are usually sugar cookies, shaped into a shamrock (clover) and sprinkled with green sanding…
Leprechaun Cookie
A "leprechaun cookie" is one specialty that is made for St. Patrick's Day. It's a cookie made to look like a leprechaun -- somewhat similar to gingerbread men. The recipes…
Femivore
Peggy Orenstein wrote "The Femivore's Delemma" for the New York (NY) Times Sunday Magazine of March 14, 2010. A "femivore" is a feminist farmer -- and not someone who eats…
“Taxi driver made them pray” (joke)
New York City cabbies have a reputation of reckless driving. A joke tells of a minister who gets into a cab and dies in a crash. St. Peter allows the taxi driver into heaven, but not the minister.…
Congresscritter (Congress + critter)
"Congresscritter" (or "Congress critter" or "Congress-critter," and also in lowercase "congresscritter") is an unflattering nickname for a member of…
“Do you know the way to the Empire State Building, or should I just go fuck myself?”
New Yorkers sometimes have a (probably unfair) reputation of being rude to tourists. If a tourist asks "Do you have the time?" or "Do you know the way to the Empire State…
“Make me one with everything” (Zen master-ordering-a-hot dog joke)
A "hot dog with everything" is one that has been "dragged through the garden" --that is, loaded up with mustard, onions, sweet pickle relish, and various other toppings. A joke…
“Where else can I park in New York City for two weeks for under $20?” (parking joke)
A popular New York City parking joke dates in print to at least 1997. A man (or woman -- the versions vary slightly) enters a bank and asks for a loan of $2,000 for a trip to Europe. The loan…
“We ain’t got no north” (directional joke)
Manhattan directions don't have north, south, east and west. People are directed uptown, downtown, or crosstown (Hudson River or East River). A traditional story (cited in print since at least…
“Downtown Dallas” (joke punchline)
Texas has much real estate, but few parcels as valuable as the properties located in downtown Dallas. A popular joke from the 1950s usually has a woman asking a Texas millionaire if he's into…
City of Fire (Coney Island)
The Russian writer Maxim Gorky visited Coney Island in 1907 and wrote that it was a "fantastic city all of fire" and a "city of fire," mainly because of all the lights and…
Dead Hook (Red Hook)
Red Hook was an industrial dock area of Brooklyn, but it suffered from years of disuse in the second half of the 20th century. In the 2000s, gentrification came to Red Hook in the form of a new…
City of Refined Oil and Crude People (Houston nickname)
Houston is home to many oil companies. The nickname "City of Refined Oil and Crude People' (a pun on "crude oil" and "refined people") has been used by Houston (TX)…
Heavenly Houston (Houston nickname)
"Heavenly Houston" is a nickname for the city of Houston that was popular in the early 1900s, but that is not used today. The nickname was coined by Houston (TX) Post writer George M.…
Petro Metro (Houston nickname)
The city of Houston has large business interests in the petrochemical industry. 'Petro Metro" (or "Petro-Metro") is an untrademarked and infrequently used Houston nickname.…
“Too big to jail”
"Too big to fail" is a philosophy that a private company is too big and too important to be allowed to go bankrupt, and is therefore bailed out by the government. "Too big to…