“30” or “Thirty” (no more; the end)
Wikipedia: -30- -30- has been traditionally used by journalists in North America to indicate the end of a story or article that is submitted for editing and typesetting. It is commonly employed…
Archive for 05/2026
“Hot corn!” (street cry)
Grokipedia Hot Corn Hot corn was a staple street food in mid-19th-century New York City, consisting of roasted ears of sweet corn sold hot by itinerant vendors, frequently impoverished children…
LEGO’S New York City—The Big Apple (2026)
LEGO announced the product "New York City -- The Big Apple" in 2026. New York City’s iconic skyline is shown, silhouetted against a dark sky in the shape of an apple. The set was priced…
“Not all relationships will lead to marriage. Some will help you discover new restaurants”
"Not all relationships will lead to marriage. Some will help you discover new restaurants" (or "Most relationships won't lead to marriage, but at least they help you find new…
“Most relationships won’t lead to marriage, but at least they help you find new restaurants”
"Not all relationships will lead to marriage. Some will help you discover new restaurants" (or "Most relationships won't lead to marriage, but at least they help you find new…
Gibson Cocktail
William Curtis Gibson (1857-1921), a New York editor of Puck magaine and later of Cosmopolitan magazine, invented the "Gibson" cocktail. Edward W. Townsend (1855-1942) wrote in The…
“400” or “Four-hundred” (chocolate milk)
Soda fountain slang (also called "diner slang" or "restuarant slang" or "hash house Greek") is mostly of historical interest today. A numerical list: 5 (five) --…
“72” or “Seventy-two” (two cups of coffee)
Newspapers.com 26 October 1937, Stuart (FL) Daily News, "Ye Editor's Easy Chair," pg. 2, col. 1: "Seventy-two." (Two cups of coffee.)
“71” or “Seventy-one” (a cup of coffee)
Newspapers.com 26 October 1937, Stuart (FL) Daily News, "Ye Editor's Easy Chair," pg. 2, col. 1: "Seventy-one." (One cup coffee.)
“Civic Fame” (statue topping the Manhattan Municipal Building)
"Civic Fame" is the 1913 statue by sculptor Adolph Alexander Weinman (1870-1952) that tops New York City's David N. Dinkins Municipal Building. New York's famed civic models…
Parlor City (Green Cove Springs, Florida nickname)
Binghamton, New York, has been called the "Parlor City (of the Southern Tier)" since 1873. "Parlor City" means a city that is refined, with beautiful homes, gardens and cultural…
Wedge Sandwich
A regional sandwich name in Westchester (Yonkers) for the hero/sub/hoagie is "wedge." "According to some people, a wedge sandwich is a loaf of bread, sliced in two and filled with…
“I should worry, I should care, I should marry a millionaire…”
"I should worry" became a famous slang phrase in the United States in 1912 and 1913. "I should worry. I should fret. I should marry a suffragette..." and "I should worry, I…
“I should worry. I should fret. I should marry a suffragette…”
"I should worry" became a famous slang phrase in the United States in 1912 and 1913. "I should worry. I should fret. I should marry a suffragette..." and "I should worry, I…
“Take a local, take an express, don’t get off ‘til you reach success”
"Take a local, take an express, don't get off 'til you reach success" is a motivational rhyme that was printed in The Echo (New Lebanon, NY) on March 6, 1951. It refers to local…
“55” or “Fifty-five” (root beer)
Newspapers.com 10 July 1985, The Times-Mail (Bedford, IN), "Soda jerk unique on American scene" by Ink Mendelsohn, pg. 5, col. 4: FIFTY-FIVE -- root beer Newspapers.com 29 November 1997,…
“5” or “Five (a large glass fof milk)
Newspapers.com 29 November 1997, Pueblo (CO) Chieftain, "Word Mysteries" by Chris Woodka, pg. 5A, col. 4: 5 -- Large glass of milk (2 1/2 was a small glass).
“21” or “Twenty-one” (a customer who doesn’t tip)
Newspapers.com 8 April 1939, Sheboygan (WI) Press, "What Is Your Number?," pg. 14, col. 2: 21 -- The customer who doesn't tip.
“99” or “Ninety-nine” (an exceptionally pretty girl has arrived)
Newspapers.com 8 April 1939, Sheboygan (WI) Press, "What Is Your Number?," pg. 14, col. 2: 99 -- An exceptionally pretty girl has arrived.
“90” or “Ninety” (a pretty girl has arrived)
Newspapers.com 8 April 1939, Sheboygan (WI) Press, "What Is Your Number?," pg. 14, col. 2: 90 -- A pretty girl has arrived.