Stage-door Johnny
Following the "dude" craze in New York City of 1883 came the "stage-door Johnny." This character waited at the stage door for his gal to come out after the show.…
Holidays/Events/Parades
Stairway to Heaven
A "stairway to heaven" is a stairway outside of a residential building, usually leading to the second flour. The stairway provides a place to sit, but many consider the architecture to be…
Stairway to Nowhere (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…
Stalingrad & Poorski (Standard & Poor’s nickname)
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) is one of the “big three” credit-rating agencies, along with Moody’s and Fitch. The financial blog Zero Hedge gave the company a Soviet-style nickname in a…
Stand and Deliver (singing with limited theatrical movement)
"Park and bark" refers to when a singer -- especially in an opera -- parks in a certain place and barks out the music. Modern performances try to eliminate "park-and-bark" by…
Standard American Diet (SAD)
Food authors have discussed the term "standard American diet" in print since at least the 1930s. The name "Standard American Diet" and its acronym "S.A.D." have been…
Stank of America (Bank of America nickname)
Bank of America is one of the Big Four of America's banks (along with Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo). Critics of Bank of America have given it the unflattering nickname of…
Star (cocktail)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 21 May 1893, Cleveland (OH) Plain Dealer, pg. 17, col. 2:THE MANHATTAN.The Greatest of American Democratic Clubs.The Manhattan club at Fifth avenue and Thirty-fourth…
Star of the Texas Hill Country (Comfort slogan)
Comfort calls itself the "Star of the Texas Hill Country." Some websites claim the title for Wimberley or for Boerne. Handbook of Texas OnlineCOMFORT, TEXAS. Comfort, the second largest…
Star-Spangled Banner (Star-Spangled Flag)
The term "star spangled flag" dates to 1805. Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) wrote a poem to the then-popular London tune of "To Anacreon in Heaven" that included the lyric: By…
Starbuckese or Starbucksese (language of Starbucks)
"Starbuckese" (or the less-frequently used "Starbucksese") is the language used by the coffeehouse chain Starbucks. "Starbuck-ese" has been cited in print since at…
Starbugs (Starbucks nickname)
Starbucks Coffee Company is a coffeehouse chain that began in Seattle, Washington in 1971. There are many Starbucks outlets in New York City, especially in Manhattan. The Starbucks nickname of…
Starfucks (Starbucks nickname)
Starbucks Coffee Company is a coffeehouse chain that began in Seattle, Washington in 1971. There are many Starbucks outlets in New York City, especially in Manhattan. The Starbucks nickname of…
Stars and Scrubs (player acquisition strategy)
"Stars and scrubs" is a player acquisition strategy that is especially popular in constructing fantasy sports teams. A few high-priced "stars" are acquired, and then low-priced…
Stars and Stripes (pork and beans nickname)
"Stars and stripes" is 19th century American restaurant slang for the very common dish of "pork and beans." "Hears his neighbor's order for pork and beans transformed…
Stat Rat (inhabitant of Staten Island)
A "Stat Rat" is an inhabitant of Staten Island. The term "Stat Rat" has been infrequently used; depending on the context, it could be a term of endearment or an insult.…
State-Run Media (SRM)
"State run media" or "state-run media" (SRM) is an unflattering nickname that some have applied to the "mainstream media" (MSM). Totalitarian states (such as the…
Staten Island (cocktail)
The "Manhattan" cocktail has existed since at least the 1880s, but for many years it was noted that the borough of Staten Island did not have a cocktail of its own. There is a…
Staten Island Chuck (groundhog weather prognosticator)
The Staten Island Zoo has celebrated each Groundhog Day (February 2nd) since 1982 with "Staten Island Chuck," also known as "Charles G. Hogg." If "Chuck" sees his…
Staten Island Ferry (cocktail)
A Staten Island Ferry cocktail is cited on Wikipedia/Wikitender as consisting of rum and pineapple -- a piña colada without the coconut cream (that is not native to Staten Island, New York). The…