Roundagon (Hilton Austin Airport nickname)
"Roundagon" is the nickname of a round building at the Bergstrom Air Force Base, built in the late 1960s. "Roundagon" is a borrowing from Washington's "Pentagon"…
Buildings/Housing/Parks
Royal Bank of Swindlers (Royal Bank of Scotland or RBS nickname)
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was formed in 1727; its U.S. branch is the Citizens Financial Group (Citizens Bank). The RBS nickname of “Royal Bank of Swindlers" has been cited in print…
Royal Bull Shit (Royal Bank of Scotland or RBS nickname)
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was formed in 1727; its U.S. branch is the Citizens Financial Group (Citizens Bank). The obvious RBS nickname of "Royal B.S." (Royal Bull Shit) has been…
RPG Sandwich (roast pork on garlic bread)
The Chinese roast pork sandwich on garlic bread (sometimes called "RPG" for short) was invented at Herbie's Restaurant in Loch Sheldrake, New York, in the 1950s. The sandwich was…
Rubber Band Effect
The "rubber band effect" (or "V rally," describing how it looks on a chart) describes the stock market as like a rubber band, ready to bounce back from any large losses or…
Rubber Chicken
The 1940s term "rubber chicken circuit" described the poor food at banquets, but when an actual rubber chicken was made and sold by novelty stores is not exactly known. Loftus…
Rubber Chicken Circuit
The "rubber chicken circuit" is the lecture circuit, where banquets are held that serve frequently unappetizing food. "The rubber chicken at hotel banquets" was cited in print…
Rubber Room
A "rubber room" originally meant a room walled with rubber (where an insane person couldn't hurt himself). This meaning dates to at least the 1930s. New York Times columnist William…
Rubbermen or Red Menace
"Rubbermen" or "Red Menace" are cop terms (especially television's NYPD Blue) for members of the fire department. http://www.faqs.org/faqs/tv/nypd-blue/Red Menace…
Rubberneck Row
"Rubberneck Row" was Forty-Fourth Street. Tourist buses used to visit that street around about 1900. Visitor would at attractions from one side of the street to the other. Their necks…
Rubies of the Pines (New Jersey cranberries)
New Jersey's Pine Barrens helps make New Jersey the third largest cranberry producing state. Its cranberries have been dubbed "The Rubies of the Pines" since at least 1991. Union…
Rucker basketball tournament (“each one teach one”)
The Rucker basketball tournament in Harlem was conceived in the 1940s and 1950s by Holcombe Rucker, a parks department worker who died of cancer in 1965 at age 38. His motto was "each one…
Rugelach
I found one of the first citations (1941) for "rugelach." This is a difficult food to trace because the names and spelling vary widely.…
Rules of Eighth Avenue (boxing at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan)
There have been several "Rules of Eighth Avenue." The third Madison Square Garden was located on Eighth Avenue, between 49th and 50th Street in Manhattan, from 1925 to 1968. It hosted…
Rules of Eighth Avenue (in Manhattan)
There have been several "Rules of Eighth Avenue." The third Madison Square Garden was located on Eighth Avenue, between 49th and 50th Street in Manhattan, from 1925 to 1968. It hosted…
Rum Raisin
"Rum Raisin" is a flavor most often used in ice cream; the raisins are soaked in rum. It's not known who invented "rum raisin," but it was listed in several ice cream shops…
Rum Rita or Rumrita (cocktail)
A "Rum Rita" (or "Rumrita") is a "Margarita" cocktail, with rum included instead of tequila. In 2000, there was a tequila shortage and restaurants were facing…
Run for the Carnations (Belmont Stakes)
The Belmont Stakes (the third race of horseracing's Triple Crown) has been called the 'Run for the Carnations." The Kentucky Derby (the first race of the Triple Crown) has long been…
Run for the Orchids (Louisiana Derby)
"Run for the Orchids" is the nickname of a horse race, much like the "Run for the Roses" (Kentucky Derby) and the "Run for the Carnations" (Belmont Stakes). The term…
Run for the Roses (Kentucky Derby)
The Kentucky Derby has been called the "Run for the Roses," after the red rose that has been the official flower of the Kentucky Derby since 1904. A rose garland (with white and pink…