Reeking Regatta (Buffalo Bayou Regatta nickname)
Houston's annual Buffalo Bayou Regatta was started in 1972 by Wayne Walls and the Houston Canoe Club. The Buffalo Bayou was so polluted that the event was called the "Reeking…
Buildings/Housing/Parks
Referette (female referee)
A “referee” is a sports official who administers a game; the term is neither masculine nor feminine. Few referees in professional sports are women. "Referette" (a female referee) has…
Reflecting Absence (World Trade Center Memorial)
"Reflecting Absence" by Michael Arad and Peter Walker was selected from over 5,200 entries in the World Trade Center Memorial Competition. http://www.wtcsitememorial.org/fin7.htmlMichael…
Reformicon (reform conservative)
"Reformicon" (reform conservative) has been used since at least 2010 in Canadian politics. The American use of "reformicon" was popularized by liberal American political…
Reformocon (reform conservative)
"Reformocon" (reform conservative) has been used since at least 2008 in Canadian politics. "Extremely well-positioned to be the leading reformocon in the Senate, but hasn't…
Refrigerator Jenga
Jenga is a game where players take turns removing one block at a time from a tower of 54 blocks. If the tower collapses, that player "loses" and the other players "win."…
Refusenik
A "refusenik" originally was someone (usually Jewish) was was refused a visa to leave the Soviet Union. The term was based on the Russian "otkaznik" (one who refuses). Soviet…
Reggae Carifest
The annual "Reggae Carifest" has been held in Forest Hills, Queens and Randall's Island and Coney Island. It's been an annual event since 1998.…
Rego Parker (inhabitant of Rego Park, Queens)
"Rego Parker” is the name of an inhabitant of Rego Park, in the borough of Queens. The name “Rego Parker” has been cited in print since at least 1927. Wikipedia: Rego Park, QueensRego…
Rego Parkistan or Regostan (Rego Park)
Rego Park in Queens has welcomed many immigrants from the countries of the former Soviet Union in Central Asia. These countries (such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, but usually not including…
Reich-wing (Third Reich + right wing)
"Reich-wing" (also "reich wing" and "reichwing," with or without capitalization) is an epithet from the political left wing directed to the right wing.…
Reindeer Chow (cereal snack)
"Puppy chow" is a snack where Chex or Crispix cereal is coated with melted chocolate and peanut butter, and then dusted with powdered sugar. The name comes from when the Ralston Purina…
Relief Rally
A "relief rally" (or a "sigh-of-relief rally") is when a market picks up after a period of bad or uncertain news. For example, at the end of 2012, the federal government in…
Religitics (religion + politics)
"Religitics" (religion + politics) is when religion and politics combine. The word "religitics" has one citation from 1988, but has been in steady (but infrequent) use since…
Remakequel (remake + prequel/sequel)
A "remakequel" is a story that is essentially a remake of another story, although it claims to be a prequel or a sequel to that original story. A "remakequel" can also be a…
Remax Ballunar Liftoff Festival (Houston)
The annual Ballunar Liftoff Festival began in the mid-1990s in Houston and is one of the country's leading balloon events. http://www.ballunarfestival.com/bhistory.aspBallunar History Who…
Remdeathivir (Remdesivir nickname)
Remdesivir is a product by the biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences that was approved in November 2020, during the COIVD-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, for the treatment of COVID-19. Many critics…
Rendez-Vous With French Cinema
The annual "Rendez-Vous With French Cinema" at the Walter Reade Theater in Lincoln Center is a decade old. http://www.filmfestivaltoday.com/dailies_item.asp?ID=661The Film Society of…
Rent-a-Crowd (Rent-a-Mob)
"Rent-a-crowd" (or "rentacrowd") and "rent-a-mob" (or "rentamob") are terms dating from the mid-1960s referring to fake agitation for or against a cause or a…
Renwick Row or English Terrace Row (West 10th Street, Manhattan)
"English Terrace Row" (or "Renwick Row") in Manhattan is located on West 10th Street, between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas). The row of houses was…