Texas Tarragon (Mexican Mint Marigold)
Texas tarragon (not a real "tarragon" plant) is another name for the Mexican Mint Marigold. Texas tarragon tastes like French tarragon, but can grow more easily in Texas soil to survive…
1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple
Texas Tea (oil, alcoholic drink, iced tea, et al.)
The television show The Beverly Hillbillies in 1962 had a theme song that called oil "Texas tea." There have been other meanings attached to "Texas tea," including actual tea.…
Texas Tender
The third deck of a steamboat (or riverboat) was called a "Texas" (or "texas"), dating from about 1850. A waiter assigned to that deck was a "texas tender." The terms…
Texas Three-Kick Rule (lawyer joke)
Texas does not have a "three-kick rule." The internet-popular joke has it that some big-city California (or New York City) lawyer is duck hunting in East Texas, and...well, see below for…
Texas Three-Step (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio)
The "Texas Three-Step" means a trip to the cities of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. In the National Basketball Association, "Texas Three-Step" means a tough Texas road trip…
Texas Timex (gold Rolex watch)
A "Texas Timex" is a gold Rolex watch. A Timex is an inexpensive watch; a Rolex is an expensive watch. The joke is how Texans flaunt wealth. Rolex1905Hans Wilsdorf established a London…
Texas Toast
The exact origins of "Texas toast" are still unknown. The toast possibly originated with the popular Rainbo bread. See also New York Brand Texas Toast. The Pig Stand "drive in"…
Texas Tommy (dance)
The "Texas Tommy" was a popular dance about 1910-1913; it was even danced in the White House. The "Texas Tommy" dance was popularized around San Francisco, and was originated by…
Texas Tommy (ice-box cookies; hot dogs)
"Texas Tommy" is the name of a 1911 dance. A recipe for "Texas Tommies" ice-box cookies appeared in 1940, but the food name is largely of historical interest today. "Texas…
Texas Tonion (LongHorn Steakhouse)
The LongHorn Steakhouse chain of restaurants has trademarked a "Texas Tonion" deep-fried onion appetizer. Other Texas-themed foods are on the LongHorn menu. LongHorn Steakhouse
Texas Toothpick (onion and jalapeño strips)
An "Arkansas toothpick" is a 19th century term for a knife. A knife was sometimes (rarely) also called a "Texas toothpick." "Texas toothpicks" is a 1990s name for…
Texas Tornado Cake
Texas tornado cake contains fruit and nuts, with coconut icing. It's not clear when this cake was invented, or where it's from. Some insist that "Texas tornado cake" is another…
Texas Torpedo (stuffed jalapeños)
A "Texas Torpedo" is a cheese-stuffed jalapeño, popular on several Dallas menus. A "Texas Torpedo" can also mean a sandwich with jalapeños or salsa added. Culpepper Steak…
Texas Tough (Texas criminal justice)
"Texas tough" can apply to any number of things, from boxers to automobiles to HEB pansies. In 2000, the Justice Policy Institute (a George Soros-backed think-tank) issued a report on…
Texas Tower (a radar tower)
A "Texas tower" is another name for a radar tower. The name derives from a resemblance to the Texas oil rig towers in the Gulf of Mexico. (Oxford English Dictionary)Texas Tower [so called…
Texas Trash (Chex mix dish)
Chex cereal has a dish called "Texas Trash." The dish was popular in the 1970s and 1980s, but the exact origins are uncertain. Wikipedia: Chex MixChex Mix (stylized as Chex mix) is a type…
Texas Trash (chocolate-covered candy)
Susie's South Forty Confections of Midland has delivered "Texas Trash" to President George W. Bush. This "Texas Trash" is not the Chex mix cereal dish, but "a custom…
Texas Treasure Chest (Texas Facilities Commission store)
The Texas Facilities Commission (TFC) operates a store in Austin as part of the State Surplus Property Program. The TFC has dubbed the store "The Texas Treasure Chest" because of the many…
Texas Triangle (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio)
National Basketball Association teams often speak of the tough "Texas Triangle" road trip against the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. The term "Texas…
Texas Trifecta (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio/Austin)
"Texas Trifecta" can mean any three things that are Texas-related. "Texas Trifecta" has been used to refer to three Texas cities --Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio or Austin.…