Wirus (variant pronunciation of “virus”)
The 2019-20 COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic resulted in much talk about a vaccine. Some people mocked "virus" as "wirus," and "vaccine" as "waccine" or…
1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple
Wisconsin: America’s Dairyland (nickname)
The state of Wisconsin has long been known for its dairy industry. A 1924 newspaper ad for "Pabst Wonder Cheese" called Wisconsin "America's fairest dairyland." "Made…
Wise Latina
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1954, from parents of Puerto Rican descent. In Sotomayor's 2009 Senate confirmation hearing, a 2001 statement that she…
Wisenheimer
A "Wisenheimer" (or "wisenheimer") is a "wise guy," a "smarty pants," a "smart aleck" (see "smart aleck" in this section), a fellow…
Wish Sandwich
A "wish sandwich" was explained in the song "Rubber Biscuit," originally by The Chips in 1956, but popularized by the Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi) on the New…
Wishbone (Wish Bone; Wishing Bone)
The "wishbone (also "wish bone" or "wishing bone") is a forked bone, named using the Latin word forcula. The bone has been called "merrythought" in England since…
Wishbone Offense (football formation)
The "wishbone" offense is an offense that sets up like a "Y" or "wishbone." It is primarily a running offense. University of Texas Coach Darrell Royal used the…
Witch of Wall Street
The moniker "Witch of Wall Street" is usually associated with Hetty Green (1834-1916), who was one of the world's richest women during his lifetime. Many stories were written about…
Witness (1998): Washington Post writer Shirley Povich
No one would help me to find living witnesses. No one in New York City and no one in New Orleans. Many people who could have contributed to this story are now dead. The New Orleans stablehands were…
Witness (2006): Joe Zito
In 2006, the Society for New York City History (SNYCH) changed its website. No longer did it declare that "the Big Apple" came from a 19th century French whore. The horseracing theory was…
Wok Chi (wok energy)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Wok heiWok hei (Chinese: 鑊氣; Jyutping: wok6 hei3) literally, the "breath of the wok", a poetic phrase Grace Young first coined in her cookbook,…
Wok Hei (“the breath of a wok”)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Wok heiWok hei (Chinese: 鑊氣; Jyutping: wok6 hei3) literally, the "breath of the wok", a poetic phrase Grace Young first coined in her cookbook,…
Woke Capitalism
"Woke capitalism" is when companies seemingly support a progressive agenda, such as featuring LGBTQ issues in advertisements. Some critics have said that this is just marketing and public…
Wolf of Wall Street
Wall Street has had bulls, bears, lambs and other animals. Several people have been called a "wolf of Wall Street." "As the wolf of Wall street has a leaning toward lambs with mint…
Woman’s Vitamin or Women’s Vitamin (Pyridoxine or Vitamin B6 nickname)
Vitamin B6 (pyridozine) has been called the "woman's vitamin" (or "women's vitamin") because of its benefits for pregnant women and also for women with premenstrual…
Womenomics (women + economics)
"Womenomics" (women + economic) is a term to describe the influence of women on the economy. "Womenomics" has been cited in print since at least 1981 and 1983, when the term was…
Wonder City of the World
"Wonder City" or "Wonder City of the World" has been applied to many cities and has, sometimes, been the nickname of New York City. The nickname was popular in the early 1900s…
Wonderfilled (filled cookies)
Oreo cream-filled cookies began a "Wonderfilled" advertising campaign in May 2013; "Oreo Wonderfilled" was filed for a trademark on March 15, 2013. The term…
Wonk (“fork” with one prong/tine)
"Fork" does not have the number "four" in it, but some people believe that a "fork" with three prongs/tines should be called a "threek." It then follows that…
Wonton Egg Drop Soup
"Wonton egg drop soup" adds together wontons (as in wonton soup) and egg drop soup. It's not known who first thought of the combination, but it began appearing on Chinese-American…