Robo-Train
The MTA has decided to try automated trains on an experimental basis, with the first one being the little-used L line for 2005. Critics have called it a "robo-train" (from…
Sports/Games
Robosigning (Robosigner)
A "robo-signing" scandal made national news on September 22, 2010. Banks had hired "robo-signers" ("robo" for "robot") who signed off on thousands of…
Robot or -bot (Obamabot or O-bot; Paulbot)
The suffix "-bot" (for"robot") is often added after a politician's name to show deluded, robot-like followers. For the 2007-2008 U.S. presidential campaign, followers of…
Rochester: Aqueduct City (nickname)
The city of Rochester, New York, saw its fortunes rise with the 1823 completion of the Genesee River Aqueduct of the Erie Canal. Rochester was called the "Aqueduct City" by at least 1866.…
Rochester: Chicken French
"Chicken French" (also known as "Chicken Française" or "Chicken Francese") is an Italian-American dish of flour breaded, egg-dipped, sautéed chicken with butter and…
Rochester: Flour City (nickname)
An early nickname for Rochester was "Flour City" because of its role in the production and transportation of flour. "Rochester, the great flour city" was cited in an 1847…
Rochester: Flower City (nickname)
An early nickname for Rochester was "Flour City" because of its role in the production and transportation of flour. "Rochester, the great flour city" was cited in an 1847…
Rochester: Garbage Plate (or Dumpster Plate)
The "garbage plate" (or "dumpster plate") is a Rochester specialty. Roadfood:The Coast-to-Coast Guide to 500 of the Best Barecue Joints, Lobster Shacks, Ice Cream Parlors,…
Rochester: Rottenchester (nickname)
The city of Rochester, in western New York (not Rochester, Minnesota), is sometimes given the unflattering nicknamed of "Rottenchester" (rotten + Rochester). 'Rottenchester" was…
Rochester: White Hots; Pop Opens
Rochester hot dogs are often called "white hots" or "pop opens." 7 August 1933, Zanesville (Ohio) Signal, pg. 5 ad:WHITE-HOTSThis sausage was originated exclusively for Kroger…
Rock Star Economy
A country is said to have a "rock star economy" (or "rockstar economy") when the economy is famously successful, like a rock star. The term "rock star economy" was…
Rock Steady Park or The Goat Courts (Happy Warrior Playground)
Manhattan's "Happy Warrior Playground," at Amsterdam Avenue between 98th and 99th streets, is officially named after New York Governor Al Smith (1873-1944), who was nicknamed…
Rockapulco (Rockaway Beach)
"Rockapulco" (Rockaway + Acapulco) has been a nickname for Rockaway Beach since at least the 1980s. Acapulco is a famous Mexican resort area; in 1964, a The Flinstones cartoon episode had…
Rockefailure (Rockefeller family + failure)
The Rockefeller family is an American industrial, political, and banking family. Some have nicknamed the Rockefeller family as "Rockefailure" (Rockefeller + failure). "PROFILE/John…
Rockefeller Center’s Atlas (modeled after Benito Mussolini?)
The Greek mythological figure of Atlas holding up the heavens is a 1937 sculpture by Lee Lawrie (1877-1963) that stands in front of the International Building of Rockefeller Center, across the…
Rockefeller Republican
The political term "Rockefeller Republican" takes its name from Nelson Rockefeller (1908-1979), the Republican governor of New York from 1959 to 1973, who then became vice president of…
Rockefinger or Rockefeller Salute (Nelson Rockefeller’s middle finger gesture)
"Rockefinger," "Rockefeller salute" and "Rockefeller gesture" are names for the middle finger protruding from a clenched fist -- also called "the finger,"…
Rocket 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,…
Rocketeer (postal worker with pneumatic tube)
Mail was delivered throughout New York City by a series of pneumatic tubes, from the years 1897 until 1953. The postal workers sending and receiving such mail were dubbed "rocketeers,"…
Rockettes
The Rockettes are New York City's high-kicking dance company. The "Missouri Rockets" began in St, Louis in 1925, and were created by Russell Markert (1899-1990). In 1928, the company…