Ten-Foot Cop (NYPD Mounted Unit)
The New York Police Department has a mounted unit; such an officer is sometimes called a "ten-foot cop." The term "ten-foot cop" also appears to be used by mounted units of…
1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple
Tenderfoot (or Tender Foot)
A "tenderfoot" (or "tender foot") is a "greenhorn" or a "pilgrim" -- someone new to the West, often fresh from the East. The name comes from someone new to…
Tenderloin
The once-seedy heart of New York City was once called the "Tenderloin." Police Captain Alexander Williams allegedly coined the term in the late 1870s, but the earliest citations that I…
Tenement House
The "tenement house" is believed to have started in New York City, on Cherry Street in 1838. "Tenement" is from the Latin tenere (to hold). (Oxford English Dictionary)tenement…
Tenement House in a Shower of Rain (hamburger steak and gravy)
"Tenement house in a shower of rain" was old New York City restaurant slang for "beefsteak and gravy." The term was first cited in an 1888 newspaper, reporting on the strange…
Tennessee: Hog and Hominy State (nickname)
"Hog and hominy" s a classic combination of Southern foods. Several states that produced pigs and corn were "hog and hominy states," but the nickname was most frequently applied…
Tennessee: Lion’s Den State (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Daniel in the lions' denThe story of Daniel in the lions' den (chapter 6 in the Book of Daniel) tells how Daniel is raised to high office by his royal…
Tennessee: Mudhead (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Oxford English Dictionary)mudhead, n.U.S. colloq. (derogatory). A native of Tennessee. Now rare.1838 T. C. Haliburton Clockmaker 2nd Ser. xix. 289 There's the…
Tennessee: Whelp (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 22 March 1866, Louisville (KY) Daily Journal, "Nicknames," pg. 1, col. 4:The natives of these States are:... Tennessee, whelps; ... 7 April 1866, The Daily…
Tennis “Bagel”
A "zero" looks like what? A donut? A bagel? In the 1970s, the American tennis players Eddie Dibbs and Harold Solomon were called the "Bagel Twins" or the "Bagel…
Tenny Runners (or Tennie Runners)
Tenny (or tennie) runners are tennis shoes. The term is said to be used in Texas, but is also popular in many other states. Dallas SlanguageTenny RunnersA pair of athletic shoes Google Groups:…
Tenther (Tenth Amendment to the Constitution adherent)
The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States…
Teppanyaki
"Teppanyaki" (or "teppan-yaki") is a Japanese cuisine where food (such as steak and shrimp) is cooked in an iron plate ("teppan") in front of diners. The Benihana…
Tequila Chicken or Tequila Lime Chicken (Chicken Tequila)
Tequila (usually paired with lime juice) began to be added to chicken recipes by at least the 1970s, but the recipes became much more frequent in the 1990s. A 1977 recipe for "Chicken Tequila…
Tequila Daisy (cocktail)
The "Margarita" (Spanish for "daisy") cocktail is a world-famous tequila-based cocktail, made with Triple Sec (or Cointreau) and lime juice and often served in a salt-rimmed…
Tequila Mockingbird (cocktail)
Ever since Harper Lee's 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird, a drink named "Tequila Mockingbird" was bound to happen somehow. Drinks by that name date from the 1960s; the only thing in…
Tequila Salty Dog (Perro Salado)
A "Salty Dog" is a cocktail of gin (or vodka) and grapefruit juice, served in a glass with a salted rim. A "Tequila Salty Dog" (or "Perro Salado") substitutes tequila…
Tequila Shrimp (Margarita Shrimp Skewers)
Tequila Shrimp (or Mexican Margarita Shrimp Skewers) sounds perfectly Texan. What could be better than tequila added to shrimp from the Gulf? The dish "Tequila Shrimp" dates from 1970s…
Tequila Sour (cocktail)
A "tequila sour" is a cocktail that contains tequila, lemon, sugar, and crushed ice. It's a similar drink to "border buttermilk," although that drink sometimes replaces the…
Tequila Sunrise (cocktail)
It's not clear where or when the Tequila Sunrise cocktail first saw light of day, but it does date to at least 1940 -- earlier than the Margarita. Wikipedia: Tequila Sunrise (cocktail)The…