“Big Apple” on NPR’s “Ask Me Another” (2020)
The Gerald Cohen-Barry Popik research work on “Big Apple” was mentioned on the NPR hour-long radio puzzle game show Ask Me Another on May 1, 2020. No credit was given, however.
It was pointed out that the stablehands who coined the term do not have names:
“What were the names of those stable hands?” ... “That their names are missing ” ... “Lost to history.”
Wikipedia: Ask Me Another (radio program)
Ask Me Another is an hour-long radio puzzle game show produced by WNYC and National Public Radio. It is hosted by Canadian comedian Ophira Eisenberg and features as its “in-house musician” or “one-man house band” independent rock musician Jonathan Coulton. Episodes of the show are usually recorded at The Bell House in Brooklyn, New York, however the show does go to various states across the country and record one or more episodes from those locations. The show has been produced by WNYC Studios since 2012.
NPR (transcripts)
Cream City
May 1, 2020 12:41 PM ET
6-Minute Listen
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Transcript
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
JONATHAN COULTON, BYLINE: This is ASK ME ANOTHER, NPR’s hour of puzzles, word games and parent teacher teleconferences. I’m Jonathan Coulton. Here’s your host, Ophira Eisenberg.
OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:
Thanks, Jonathan. We’re playing some games with two totally delightful people, Stephanie Beatrize from “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and the upcoming film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In The Heights,” and Lauren Ash from “Superstore” and “She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power.” All right. Stephanie, Lauren, are you ready for another game?
STEPHANIE BEATRIZ: Yes.
LAUREN ASH: Born ready. Born ready.
EISENBERG: Great. So this is a multiple choice quiz about how cities got their nicknames…
ASH: OK.
BEATRIZ: Oh.
EISENBERG: ...So we’ll go back-and-forth. All right. Stephanie, why is New York City nicknamed the Big Apple?
BEATRIZ: Oh.
EISENBERG: Is it because, A, a newspaper sports columnist used the term to refer to the city’s preeminent horse racing venues - B, because all of the appletini’s the gals drink on “Sex In The City” - or C, because it’s got a rotten center?
BEATRIZ: That’s A.
EISENBERG: Yes, it is A. That’s right.
BEATRIZ: I was like…
EISENBERG: Yeah.
COULTON: (Laughter).
BEATRIZ: I was so sure, and then I was like, wait. Is this a setup? Am I…
(LAUGHTER)
EISENBERG: Yeah. Supposedly, horse racing reporter John Fitz Gerald overheard two stable hands refer to New York as the Big Apple, and he loved it, so he used it for an article for The New York Morning Telegraph.
BEATRIZ: What were the names of those stable hands?
ASH: That’s so funny.
EISENBERG: Isn’t that interesting…
BEATRIZ: You know.
EISENBERG: ...That their names are missing.
BEATRIZ: Lost to history.