Sayre’s Law: Mayors of NY come from nowhere and go nowhere
Rudy Giuliani is going to hate me for this one, but I didn't make it up. Autumn 1977, PS, vol. 10, no. 4, pg. 511:Perhaps this is the time to record publicly two more of Wallace Sayre's…
Streets
Sazerac (cocktail)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Sazerac (cocktail)The Sazerac is one of the oldest known cocktails, with its origins in pre-Civil War New Orleans, Louisiana. The original drink is based on a…
Scalpel vs. Machete (budget-cutting techniques)
There are two metaphorical tools that politicians claim to use in cutting a budget -- a scalpel (for small, surgical cuts, causing the least harm) and a machete (for massive cuts). Unless the…
Scamdemic (scam + pandemic)
"Scamdemic" (scam + pandemic) means a fake pandemic. The term was first used during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. "Wondering if #swineflu is really a pandemic, or is it a hamdemic or…
Scampaign (scam + campaign)
A "scampaign" (scam + campaign) is a campaign -- a political campaign or a campaign for a specific cause or business -- that contains fraud and can be called a "scam."…
Scandalpalooza (scandal + lollapalooza)
"Scandalpalooza" (scandal + lollapalooza) is when a government has several scandals (sometimes called "-gates," after the Watergate scandal). The word "scandalpalooza"…
Scarebus (Airbus nickname)
Airbus is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. People who believe that its planes are not safe have nicknamed the company "Scarebus" (or…
Scaredemic (scare + pandemic)
"Scaredemic" (scare + pandemic) became a popular term during the 2020 COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, but it had appeared earlier. "Homespun Craft Show tomorrow, the Scaredemic will…
Scarf (to eat)
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Oxford English Dictionary)scarf, vU.S. slang var. scoff v.2 1. Also absol. and const. up and down.1960 R. G. Reisner Jazz Titans 164 Scarf, eat.1968 C. Armstrong Balloon…
Scariant (scare/scary + variant)
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic had variants, called by some as "scariant" (scare/scary + variant). "So many variants of scary. Scariants" was posted on Twitter by Cal…
Schenectady: “The City that Lights and Hauls the World” (slogan)
Entry in progress -- B.P. "Electric City" is a similar Schenectady nickname. Wikipedia: Schenectady, New YorkSchenectady /skᵻˈnɛktədi/ (skə-nek-tə-dee) is a city in Schenectady…
Schenectady: Electric City (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. “The City that Lights and Hauls the World” is a similar Schenectady nickname. Wikipedia: Schenectady, New YorkSchenectady /skᵻˈnɛktədi/ (skə-nek-tə-dee) is a…
Schleppie Award
The Schleppie Award was started in 2007 by NYPIRG's Straphangers' Campaign and Transportation Alternatives. The award goes to New York City's least reliable buses. Since 2002, the…
Schmear (Schmeer; Shmear; Shmeer)
Jewish New Yorkers sometimes order a "bagel with schmear" (or "bagel mit schmear"). The Yiddish word "schmear" (other spellings include "schmeer,"…
Schmearlier or Schmelier (schmear expert)
A "sommelier" is a wine steward. In January 2020, Philadelphia Cream Cheese advertised the "schmelier," an expert on schmearing cream cheese. "Schmearlier" is an…
Schmelier or Schmearlier (schmear expert)
A "sommelier" is a wine steward. In January 2020, Philadelphia Cream Cheese advertised the "schmelier," an expert on schmearing cream cheese. "Schmearlier" is an…
School Bus of the Sky (Spirit Airlines nickname)
Spirit Airlines is an American ultra-low-cost carrier. Spirit has sometimes been called the "School Bus of the Sky" or "School Bus with Wings." Both school buses and Spirit…
School Bus with Wings (Spirit Airlines nickname)
Spirit Airlines is an American ultra-low-cost carrier. Spirit has sometimes been called the "School Bus of the Sky" or "School Bus with Wings." Both school buses and Spirit…
School For Alcoholics (Stephen F. Austin State University nickname)
Stephen F. Austin State University is a public university in Nacogdoches, Texas, that opened in 1923. "SFA" has had a reputation as a party school. The SFA nicknames "School For…
School of Hard Knocks (University of Hard Knocks)
The "school of hard knocks" (also the "college of hard knocks" and the "university of hard knocks") means something that is learned from adversity, rather than formal…