Texas Cadillac (pickup truck or Chevy Suburban)
A "Texas Cadillac" was originally slang for a "pickup truck" of any variety. In recent years, a "Texas Cadillac" has meant a Chevy Suburban. The Suburban is huge. See…
Education/Schools
Texas Caesar Salad
The original "Caesar salad" has nothing to do with Julius Caesar of ancient Rome. Caesar Cardini developed the salad at his Tijuana, Mexico establishment (supposedly on July 4, 1924), and…
Texas Cake
A "Texas Cake" recipe existed in the 19th century. Tested Recipe Cook Bookcompiled by Mrs. Henry Lumpkin WilsonAtlanta, GA: The Foote & Davies Company1895Pg. 56:Texas Cake. -- Five…
Texas Cakewalk (a hanging)
A "Texas cakewalk" is a hanging (maybe because it's so easy in Texas?). The western term isn't used often and is mostly historical. A Writer's Guide to the Old WestTexas…
Texas Cannonballs (black stuffed olives)
"Texas Cannonballs" (black stuffed olives) is a dish that appears to have been invented and named (quite creatively) by Russell H. Ritchey at the website "Flavors of Texas." A…
Texas Caviar (black-eyed peas)
"Texas caviar" is the name for pickled black-eyed peas. Helen Corbitt helped to popularize the dish, but she didn't invent the name. The dish is sometimes called "Cowboy…
Texas Celery (cardoon)
Cardoon (from the Latin word for thistle) is a plant from the globe artichoke family. Cardoon is native to the Mediterranean region, but it grows in Texas from the fall through the spring.…
Texas Champagne (hot sauce)
D. L. Jardine's food company has called its cayenne pepper hot sauce "Texas Champagne" since 1980. Champagne is not hot; what's meant is that it's a famous food product of…
Texas Chicken (Church’s Chicken in Mideast)
"Texas Chicken" is the name of "Church's Chicken" in the Middle East, "church" being possibly objectionable. Church's Chicken was founded by George W.…
Texas Chicken (ship-passing maneuver)
"Texas chicken" is a procedure that occurs when two shipping vessels face each other on a collision course -- a frequent occurrence in the Houston Ship Channel. The vessels must quickly…
Texas Chowder (Texas Clam Chowder)
Chowder (especially clam chowder) is a New England dish. What is Texas chowder? On ABC's Nightline television program of September 17, 2008, someone who was cooking chili for the Texans…
Texas Coleslaw (Texas Cole Slaw)
Texas coleslaw (or "cole slaw") is a popular side dish for a Texas barbecue. Coleslaw is a cabbage salad, but a "Texas coleslaw" applies some heat to this by adding dry mustard…
Texas Cow Chips
"Texas Cow Chips" recipes can be seen on postcards of Texas. They's a Texas name for chocolate chip cookies, with raisins and pecans also added. It is not known who first baked the…
Texas Crabgrass or Texas Crab Grass (a spinach and crabmeat dish)
"Texas crabgrass" (or "Texas crab grass") is a dish that consists of spinach (the green "grass") and crabmeat. It is not known when or where the dish originated, but…
Texas Crud
"The crud" is military slang for a real or imaginary disease, first recorded in the publication American Speech in 1932. Many people in Texas often get "the crud" -- defined as…
Texas Crutch (using aluminum foil in BBQ)
Kansas City "Baron of BBQ" Paul Kirk posed with a crutch covered with aluminum foil, titled "Texas Crutch," in 1999 or January 2000. Kirk coined or certainly popularized the…
Texas Cucumber (banana squash; hot pepper; watermelon)
There is no standard slang definition for "Texas cucumber." The term has been used to describe banana squash, hot pepper, and a large watermelon. Viceland.comChin tricked me into eating a…
Texas Death Match (wrestling)
A "Texas death match" is a wrestling term used to advertise extreme wrestling, first cited in 1955. Early advertisements stated "no fall limits" and "no time limits."…
Texas Deep-Fried Turkey
Deep-fried turkey? Texas Monthly published a recipe for Texas Deep-Fried Turkey in 1998. Deep fried turkey originated in the South, but it's not known where. Louisiana also claims it. Texas…
Texas Dim Bulb Award
The blog WhosPlayin.com, subtitled "Life and Liberty in the Lone Star State," announced in 2006 its monthly "Texas Dim Bulb Award." The prize (the graphic shows a bulb in the…