Your safety matters to us
On the 14th Street Lexington line stop, a male voice was heard telling people to stay away from the end of the platform. "Your safety matters to us," the message ended. Then, a female…
Origin of “Tar Heel” (North Carolina nickname)
Yourgage (your + mortgage)
"Yourgage" or "YOURgage" (your + mortage) is not a slang term, but a registered service mark (since May 2011) of Quicken Loans. Rather than a 15-year or a 30-year mortgage, a…
Youthquake or Youth Quake (youth + earthquake)
"Youthquake" (also spelled "youth quake") was defined in the September 1965 Ebony magazine: "They champion what is known as 'Youthquake,' which means super, boss,…
YOYO Economics (“You’re On Your Own”)
"YOYO" has been cited since at least 1988 to mean "You're On Your Own." "YOYO" has been used in medical slang as a saying to patients who leave a hospital. Jared…
Yoyos or Yo-Yos (Mexican pastries)
"Yo-yos" (named after the still-popular 1920s toy of a disk on a string) is the name of a Mexican sweet bread (pan dulce) that resembles the toy, minus the string. A "yo-yo" has…
Yuge (huge)
"Yuge' (or "yooge") for "huge" has been a part of New York speech. Boxing promoter Bob Arum (born in New York City in 1931), said in 1995, "the biggest-grossing…
Yuglies (young + ugly; Dallas Cowboys offensive line)
The Dallas Cowboys football team fan blog "Blogging the Boys" (BTB) sought a new name for the 2011 Cowboys' young and revamped offensive line. A poster named "Shaymer"…
Yum (Yum-Yum; Yummy; Yumptious; Yum-O)
"Yum" is used to express satisfaction, especially in regard to food that one has tasted. The food can be described as "yum-yum," "yummy," and even "yum-o."…
Yupper West Side
"Yuppie" (Young Urban Professional) became a national buzzword in 1984. Like many buzzwords, people became tired of its over-use. It's seldom used now. Many yuppies lived on the…
Yuppie
"Yuppie" (young urban professional) is still used in New York. The term became a sensation in 1984. However, it appears that "yuppie" did not originate in New York.…
Za (pizza)
"Za" is a clipped form of the word "pizza." The term "za" has been cited in print since the 1960s, but achieved its greatest slang popularity in the 1980s. (Oxford…
Zagat (Za-GAT)
Eugene and Nina Zagat started publishing their Zagat Survey of restaurants in the early 1980s. It's since grown to other cities, and it's no longer a survey of only restaurants. A rhyme…
Zagateer
Zagat (pronounced "Za-GAT") began in 1979 by Tim and Nina Zagat as a survey to rate restaurants in New York City; Zagat.com and Zagat guides now rate other business fields, such as…
Zapplesauce
"Zapplesauce" (applesauce fortified with energy producing maltodextrin, a complex carbohydrate) was developed by the U.S. Department of the Army as part of a Meal Ready to Eat (MRE). The…
Zebra (420 West 42nd Street)
The building at 420 West 42 Street has stripes, so it's known as the "Zebra" building. "Oreo" is another nickname that has been used for it. http://www.420w42.com/…
Zebra (sports official who wears a black-and-white-striped shirt)
NFL officials' uniforms and NHL officials' uniforms have black-and-white-striped shirts, like a zebra's stripes. The officials wearing such shirts are often nicknamed…
Zeppelin Sandwich (Zep Sandwich)
Entry in progress -- B.P. The long list of the names of sandwiches served on long rolls includes blimpie, bomber, Cuban (medianoche), Dagwood, garibaldi, gondola, grinder, hero, hoagie, Italian,…
Zero (financial industry worker who doesn’t receive an annual bonus)
Many employees on Wall Street expect to see annual bonuses. A December 2010 article in the New York (NY) Times reported on a new club called "the Zeros" -- people who didn't receive…
Zero Hedgie or Zero Head (Zero Hedge blog reader)
Zero Hedge is a popular financial blog that began in 2009. People who read and comment on ZH were given a nickname from the title of the article "The Zero Hedgies," by financial writer…
Zero U (Oklahoma University)
"Zero U" is an unflattering nickname of Oklahoma University (or "OU"). The nickname is most often heard by University of Texas Longhorns fans, especially when UT plays OU at the…