Origin of “Tar Heel” (North Carolina nickname)

Banking/Finance/Insurance

Texas Ratio

The "Texas ratio" for checking a bank's fiscal health was developed by Gerard Cassidy of RBC Capital Markets (Portland. ME) in the 1980s. Cassidy was checking Texas banks, but the…

Texas Ratio

The "Texas ratio" for checking a bank's fiscal health was developed by Gerard Cassidy of RBC Capital Markets (Portland. ME) in the 1980s. Cassidy was checking Texas banks, but the…

Texas Rattlesnake (cocktail)

The "Texas Rattlesnake" cocktail contains no rattlesnake, but it does have a bite. The usual ingredients are Yukon Jack Canadian whisky, cherry brandy, Southern Comfort, and sweet and…

Texas Rice Salad (Texmati Rice Salad)

Texas barbecues usually have potato salad as a side dish, but many barbecues also have rice salad. Rice salad can also be served with shrimp, salmon, and just about any other main dish. Texmati…

Texas Riviera (Texas Gulf Coast)

Missouri Pacific Lines promoted the "Texas Riviera" (Corpus Christi, Galveston, and Houston, also called the Texas Gulf Coast) as far back as the 1920s. 8 February 1910, Dallas Morning…

Texas Road Fairy

The Texas "road fairy" can build new roads in the state without raising taxes or charging tolls. The "road fairy" is a fiction, of course. There is one citation of "road…

Texas Roadkill (Texas Roadhouse nickname)

Texas Roadhouse is a chain restaurant, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. The restaurant has been nicknamed "Texas Roadkill" since at least 1997. Texas Roadhouse actually has a dish…

Texas Rock Rose (Pavonia lasiopetala)

Texas Rock Rose (Patonia lasiopetala) is a native Texas plant that stands up to the fierce Texas heat. It has a long bloom period and gives a rose-pink flower. The name "Rock Rose" dates…

Texas Roll (sushi)

The "Texas Roll" sushi roll is offered at several Japanese restaurants, but the ingredients do not appear to have been standardized. Jalapeños are often included. Sushi Zushi (Dallas…

Texas Room (family room)

A "Texas room" is real estate talk for a "family room" or "game room," or perhaps any room in the house that's large.…

Texas Rose (cocktail)

Texas Rose is a nice name for a cocktail. The ingredients differ, however. Orange juice seems to be an ingredient in all variations of the Texas Rose cocktail. The most popular other ingredients…

Texas Rose (onion appetizer)

Texas Rose is an onion appetizer offered (since 2000) at the Lonestar Steakhouse restaurant franchise. The appetizer is similar to the Bloomin' Onion that Outback Steakhouse has served since…

Texas Sausage Trail

The Texas Sausage Trail is not as established as the Texas BBQ Trail (that has its own promotional website). The term became popularized in the January 2003 Texas Co-op Power magazine with its…

Texas Schmexas (Texas Shmexas)

"Fancy schmancy" (less frequently spelled "fancy shmancy") is a Yiddish expression from the early 1900s, meaning that something may be "fancy," but that it's…

Texas Scramble (golf)

Texas Scramble is a form of golf that allows players to form 4-person teams, with the best shot of a team used. There are other rules; it is not known who invented the game or why it's named…

Texas Scramble (scrambled egg and other dishes)

"Texas Scramble" is a name for a scrambled egg dish, sometimes mixed with chili, cheese, onion, and ham or chorizo. A Texas Scramble Pie with chili con carne (below, from 1945) is…

Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy

The "Texas sharpshooter fallacy" is based on a story about a person who comes to Texas and sees bullet holes in the side of a barn, with a bull's-eye circle drawn around each hole.…

Texas Sheath Cake

"Texas sheath cake" is probably the same as "Texas sheet cake" -- a brownie-like cake made on a large baking sheet. "Sheet cake" is cited from the early 1900s;…

Texas Sheet Cake

Texas sheet cake is a brownie-like cake, only one-inch thick and often served on a cookie sheet. "Texas sheet cake" is recorded from the 1960s, but "sheet cake" is recorded…