Piano District (Mott Haven, Bronx)
The South Bronx (in the Mott Haven area) was known for piano manufacturing in the early 1900s. In 2015 -- long after the piano manufactures left -- Keith Rubinstein, a real estate developer and…
Education/Schools
Picadillo
Picadillo usually (recipes vary widely) consists of meat with pimentos, olives, and raisins, served over rice. The Spanish recipe has found its way from Cuba and Mexico to the Southwestern U.S.…
Picasso Alley (hallway at Four Seasons restaurant)
The Four Seasons restaurant, located in Manhattan's Seagram Building at 99 East 52nd Street, opened in 1959. A large curtain designed by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) for the Ballets Russes ballet…
Pickle Alley (Essex Street)
The Lower East Side of Manhattan had many Jewish immigrants in the early years of the 1900s; Essex Street was once the home to many shops that sold pickles. Food52 wrote about "A History of…
Pickle Boat
Entry in progress -- B.P. OCLC WorldCat recordSongs children love to singAuthor: Ella JenkinsPublisher: Washington, D.C. : Smithsonian Folkways, ℗1996.Edition/Format: Music CD : CD audio :…
Pickle Factory (Central Intelligence Agency or CIA nickname)
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the successor to World War II's Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The CIA has been nicknamed the "Pickle Factory" since at least 1965, when…
Pickleback (whiskey and pickle brine)
"Pickleback" is a drink of whiskey and pickle brine. The drink was invented by Reggie Cunningham in 2006 at the Bushwick Country Club in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Cunningham used Old Crow…
Pickles and Ice Cream
"Pickles and ice cream" is an odd combination of foods, famous for being just that. In the 1910s, "pickles and ice cream" was popularized as a strange combination of favorite…
Pico de gallo
"Pico de gallo" is a Mexican food, but probably more Cal-Mex than Tex-Mex. I pointed this dish out to the OED and supplied the 1962 citation below. Wikipedia: Pico de galloIn Mexican…
Pie Car
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus performs often at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but the circus is also frequently on the road. The performers are fed in a railroad…
Pie-Off
A "pie-off" is like a "bake-off," except only pies can be entered in the baking competition. The "cook-off" is the original of the "-off" words to describe…
Pie-oneer (pie + pioneer)
"Pie-oneer" (pie + pioneer) is a jocular portmanteau word, usually used to describe a "first" involving a pie. "The old time pastry cooks have organized a pie-oneer…
Piecaken (pie + cake + turducken)
"Piecaken" (pie + cake) is a dish that was inspired by "turducken" (turkey + duck+ chicken). Several pies are all made into a cake. CakeSpy's "Cookie Cake Pie" in…
Piedras (Mexican pastry “rocks” or “stones”)
"Piedras" (meaning "rocks" or "stones") are served at Mi Tierra Restaurant & Bakery in San Antonio, described as "a raisin pecan cookie with sweet pink…
Pig Pickin’ Cake
"Pig Pickin's Cake" has been cited in print since at least March 1975, when The Robesonian (Lumberton, NC) stated, "The hostesses served 'pig-picking' cake, so named…
Pig Wings (Pork Wings; Hog Wings)
"Pig wings" (also called "pork wings" or "hog wings") borrow from the popular name of Buffalo (chicken) wings. Pioneer Meats trademarked "Pig Wings" with a…
Pigeon Chess (“like playing chess with a pigeon”)
Entry in progress -- B.P. RationalWiki: Pigeon chess"Pigeon chess" or "like playing chess with a pigeon" is a figure of speech originating from a comment made in March 2005 on…
Pigeons (New York City Football Club or NYCFC nickname)
The New York City Football Club (NYFC) is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that plays in Major League Soccer (MLS). "Pigeons" is a popular nickname of the club…
Piggy Bank
A "piggy bank" is a vessel where money can be inserted; it was originally shaped like a pig, but can be other animals and objects. "Pig bank" is cited in print from 1895 and…
PIIGS (Portugal + Italy + Ireland + Greece + Spain)
The acronym "PIGS" (Portugal + Italy + Greece + Spain) stands for the economies of these four European nations and has been cited in print since at least December 2007. The acronym…