Pointy Boots
Texas Governor Rick Perry was frequently called "Pointy Boots" in June-July 2011, when Perry flirted with running for president. KLBJ-AM 590 (Austin) radio personality Jeff Ward used the…
Buildings/Housing/Parks
Poison Pill
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Shareholder rights planA shareholder rights plan, colloquially known as a "poison pill", or simply "the pill" is a kind of defensive tactic…
Pok?rrito (pok? + burrito)
"Pokērrito" (pokē + burrito) is a name that was filed for a trademarked in September 2015. Los Angeles magazine described the dish (from Great Rice Balls of Fire) on January 28, 2016:…
Poke Test or Finger Test (rule for cooking meat)
The "poke test" (or "finger test") involves touching a food to see if it's done cooking. "Finger test" has been cited since at least 1960, when it was used to…
Poker (card game)
Entry in progress -- B.P. [This entry was assisted by research from Fred Shapiro of the American Dialect Society.] Wikipedia: PokerPoker is a family of gambling card games involving betting and…
Pokey Award
The "Pokey Award" (a snail trophy, of course) is given out by NYPIRG's Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives to the slowest public transportation in New York City.…
Polar Bears
According to the Coney Island Polar Bear Club (www,polarbear.org): The Coney Island Polar Bear Club is the oldest winter bathing organization in the United States. We swim the Atlantic Ocean at…
Pole Tax (homophone of “poll tax”)
"Pole tax" sounds like "poll tax," but it's quite different. A "poll tax" is a tax affixed per person that has often (in the 19th century) been linked with the…
Pole Tax (homophone of “poll tax”)
"Tits for tots" (a pun on "tit-for-tat") was the nickname pf a proposed 2004 Texas strip club tax that would, supposedly, have raised revenue for the education of Texas…
Polidiot (politics + idiot)
A "polidiot" (politics + idiot) can mean a politician who's an idiot or a member of the general public (such as a voter) who's an idiot. The term "polidiot" has been…
Poligarchy (political + oligarchy); Poligarch
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: OligarchyOligarchy (from Greek ὀλιγαρχία (oligarkhía); from ὀλίγος (olígos), meaning 'few', and ἄρχω (arkho), meaning 'to…
Poligion (politics + religion)
"Poligion" (politics + religion) is when religion and politics combine. The word "poligion" has been cited in print since at least 2001. The similar (but somewhat awkward) word…
Polish Tea Room (Cafe Edison at Hotel Edison)
The Edison Hotel is located at 228 West 47th Street, in the heart of the theatre district. The Cafe Edison is joking referred to as the "Polish Tea Room," after the more famous Russian…
Political Football
A "political football" is politically divisive issue, something that gets "kicked" around by both sides. The term is cited in English at least as early as 1748 and 1772 -- about…
Political Pundit (Punditry)
"Pundit" is a Sanskrit word (cited in print from the 1600s) meaning "a learned man." Modern "pundits" are experts or commentators in their fields. A "pundit"…
Political Row (East 7th Street, between Avenues C and D)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 31 March 1892, The World (New York, NY), pg. 6, col. 1:QUOTA OF POLITICAL ROW.An East-Side Street Prolific of Office Holders.It must be a very undesirable office when…
Political Row (East 7th Street, between Avenues C and D)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 31 March 1892, The World (New York, NY), pg. 6, col. 1:QUOTA OF POLITICAL ROW.An East-Side Street Prolific of Office Holders.It must be a very undesirable office when…
Political Suicide
"Political suicide" is for a politician to support an unpopular (or highly contested) political position. For example, many people said that that it would be political suicide in 2009 for…
Politics of Grievance
The "politics of grievance" means telling a political group that they've been wronged (this can be real or can play to prejudices) and that electing a particular politician will…
Politics of Personal Destruction
During Bill Clinton's successful campaign for the U.S. presidency in 1992, questions about his character began to emerge. Reports of extra-marital affairs with Gennifer Flowers and of dodging…