The public be damned! (William H. Vanderbilt)
"The public be damned" was the famous 1882 retort of railroad magnate William H. Vanderbilt. The writer Rufus Hatch popularized the phrase in this damning interview. 17 October 1882,…
Buildings/Housing/Parks
The Queer Big Apple Corps (marching band, 2022-present)
The Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps was founded in 1979 as the New York Gay Community Marching Band by Nancy Corporon (music director) and Bob Wolff (general manager). The name change to…
The Queer Big Apple Corps (marching band)
The Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps was founded in 1979 as the New York Gay Community Marching Band by Nancy Corporon (music director) and Bob Wolff (general manager). The name change to…
The Rialto (14th Street)
"The Rialto" was the 14th Street theatre district. The theatre district has long since moved uptown, and "the Rialto" is no longer used. The term was extremely popular in the…
The Scotsman’s Kilt
The following was attached to Richard Stratton's very informative May 13, 2005 e-mail to me: The Continuing Saga of the CourtshipofAndrew MacTavish and Mary Margaret MacDuffA brief summary…
The Scottish Business (name used to avoid “Macbeth” curse)
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth includes witches, and theater tradition has it that the play is cursed. Saying the play's name or its lines (outside of an actual performance) is said…
The Scottish Play (name used to avoid “Macbeth” curse)
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth includes witches, and theater tradition has it that the play is cursed. Saying the play's name or its lines (outside of an actual performance) is said…
The Scottish Tragedy (name used to avoid “Macbeth” curse)
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth includes witches, and theater tradition has it that the play is cursed. Saying the play's name or its lines (outside of an actual performance) is said…
The Shack (police reporters area)
"The shack" is the name for the police reporters' room on the second floor of One Police Plaza (built in 1973), near the Brooklyn Bridge. In 2009, the police department announced…
The Shawarma (nickname of Vessel at Hudson Yards)
"Vessel" is the name of the Thomas Heatherwick-designed structure at the Hudson Yards on the West Side of Manhattan, opened on March 15, 2019. The honeycomb-like structure has 154 flights…
The Six (Toronto, Canada nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Other Toronto nicknames include "Big Smoke," "Broadway North," "Centre of the Universe," "Hogtown," "Hollywood North,"…
The Stroll (Seventh Ave. between 131-132 Streets)
"The Stroll" is a term for the center street (the social center) in an area of New York City with a large black population. The Stroll was originally between 26th and 63rd Streets on the…
The Town Without a Toothache (Hereford slogan)
On January 29, 1942, the popularly syndicated newspaper feature "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" called Hereford, Texas "The Town Without a Toothache." Dr. George W. Heard…
The Turk (person to cut a player from the team)
"The Turk" is the Grim Reaper of the National Football League -- the team official that tells a player to take his playbook and speak with the coach because that player has just been cut…
The Unexpected Borough (Staten Island)
Staten Island, New York City's least populated borough, has been called the "forgotten borough" since at least the 1920s. To remedy this, in December 2018, Staten Island promoted…
The United States of Goldman Sachs
Hank Paulson, a former chairman and chief executive officer of the financial firm of Goldman Sachs, was United States Treasury Secretary from July 2, 2006-January 20, 2009. The influence of Goldman…
The Unmentionable Play (name used to avoid “Macbeth” curse)
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth includes witches, and theater tradition has it that the play is cursed. Saying the play's name or its lines (outside of an actual performance) is said…
The Village (airplane coach seating section)
Reader's Digest (November 2010) did a short article on airline lingo and included this definition: "Working the village: Working in coach." In 2014, one "flight attendant's…
The World’s Borough (Queens)
The New York City borough of Queens has a large international population; the borough hosted both the 1939 New York World's Fair and the 1964 New York World's Fair. In October 2014,…
The Worst Airline (Trans World Airlines or TWA backronymic nickname)
Trans World Airlines (TWA) existed from 1925 through 2001 and was once one of the world's largest airlines, with a terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport. TWA has been given the…