1940s-1950s: Assorted Big Apple citations

Toxic City (Texas City nickname)

Texas City and its surrounding region in Galveston County is home to many petrochemical plants. By at least 1990, Texas City acquired the unattractive nickname of "Toxic City." The…

Toxicana (Texarkana nickname)

The city of Texarkana in Bowie County has three sites on the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List for cleanup. An article by James Presley in the March 10, 1989 Texas…

Toy District (Toy Center)

Manhattan's Toy District is between 21st and 27th streets, from the Avenue of the Americas to Madison Avenue. It is centered around the Toy Center at 200 Fifth Avenue (23rd Street). New York…

Track Pizza

"Track pizza" is another name for a subway suicide, where someone throws himself or herself in front of a moving train. A bloody red mess results ("pizza"). Not sold by the…

Track Town, USA (Eugene nickname)

The city of Eugene, Oregon, has been called "Track Town, USA" (or "Tracktown, USA") since at least 1980. Hayward Field has been the home to the University of Oregon's track…

Trader Vic’s Columbia (cocktail)

The Columbia cocktail (named for Columbia University) is an infrequently served cocktail that was invented in Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide (1947). The cocktail contains 2 parts light…

Traffic Court

New York City has had a "traffic court" since at least 1916. (Oxford English Dictionary)traffic court orig. U.S., a court of law with jurisdiction over motoring offences.1919 Evening Star…

Tragic Number

A "magic number" is the combination of team wins and a contending team's losses that will clinch a playoff spot or title. A "tragic number" is the opposite -- a combination…

Trail Mix

"Trail mix," cited in print from about 1976, is also called "gorp" (cited in print from 1962) and "birdseed" (cited from 1971). A high energy "mix" of…

Training Table

A training table is a table where athletes in training are provided meals. The term was popularly used in competitive rowing (especially between Harvard and Yale) in the 1870s and 1880s and is…