The New Yorker Festival
The New Yorker Festival started in 2000 simply as a 75th anniversary celebration of the magazine, The New Yorker. It's become an annual event since then. The event celebrates everything that…
1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple
The Only Day After Yesterday (“today” backronym)
The word "today" is not an acronym, but it is sometimes given a backronym (back acronym). "I know what TODAY stand for The Only Day After Yesterday it just hit me lol" was…
The only town in Texas that’s Knott Texas (Knott slogan)
Jim Hightower wrote in 1993: "There's a town motto that I especially like. It's for a little west Texas burg called Knot (sic). Its slogan is: 'The only town in Texas…
The Other Big Apple (Meaford, Ontario nickname)
The municipality of Meaford, in Ontario, Canada, is an apple-growing area. The city had used an apple in its logo, but, in 2011, it added the line, "The Other Big Apple." Many residents…
The People’s House (U.S. House of Representatives)
The United States House of Representatives have been called "the People's House" because of the direct election of representatives. Members of the United States Senate (the other…
The People’s Money (silver nickname)
"The people's money" is a nickname for silver. Silver is more affordable than gold and has, historically, been a favorite metal to use as coinage. "Silver is the people's…
The Planet (Brooklyn)
The borough of Brooklyn has been called "The Planet" in hip-hop slang since the 1990s. It's sometimes said that Brooklyn is the most diverse borough, although Queens could also be…
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,…
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…