Melody Lane (West 28th Street)
"Melody Lane" was another name for what is now called "Tin Pan Alley," where the song publishers assembled on West 28th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Melody Lane got…
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores
Melt (Tuna Melt; Patty Melt; Fatty Melt)
A "melt" sandwich is a sandwich that contains melted cheese over its main ingredient. Popular "melts" include the "patty melt" (cited in print from at least 1956 and…
Melt Up (Meltup)
A "melt up" (or "melt-up" or "meltup") is the opposite of a stock market "meltdown." The term "meltdown" had been in use since at least the early…
Meltdown
A nuclear "meltdown" (or "melt-down" or "melt down") is a disaster that occurs when a nuclear reactor has melted its core. A "financial meltdown" or…
Melting Pot; Mixing Bowl; Mosaic
"Melting Pot" and "Mixing Bowl" and "Mosaic" have all been used to describe New York City or America. "Melting Pot" conveys the image of many many different…
Melville: Hellville (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Melville, NYMelville is an affluent hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, in the United…
Memela (appetizer)
Memelas are antojitos (appetiizers or snacks) from Oaxaca, similar to tlayudas/clayudas (Oaxacan "Mexican pizza"). Oaxacan memelas are a local name for the identical sopes that are served…
Memory Vitamin (Choline nickname)
Choline is a nutrient (usually grouped with B-complex vitamins) that can be found in milk, eggs and peanuts. Choline has been called the "memory vitamin" since at least 1998. Studies of…
Mental Abuse To Humans (“math” backronym)
"MATH: Mental Abuse To Humans" is a jocular backronym that has been printed on many gift items, such as T-shirts, posters and bumper stickers. "Math = Mental Abuse To Humans"…
Mental Attack To Healthy Students (“maths” backronym)
"Mental Attack To Healthy Students" is a jocular "maths" backronym (back acronym) that has been printed on several images. "Teacher: What is maths?Student: Mental Attack To…
Mentally Affected Teachers Harassing Students (“maths” backronym)
"Mental Affected Teachers Harassing Students" is a jocular "maths" backronym (back acronym) that has been printed on several images. "MATHS:Mentally Affected Teachers…
Menudo
Menudo is a tripe stew. It's been cited in English from about 1900. 25 September 1904, Mexican Herald, pg. 9, col. 2:Peon Restaurant of City of Mexico:"Square Meals" For From Two…
Menurkey (menorah + turkey)
Thanksgiving and Hanukkah rarely occur on the same date, but one such overlap is November 28, 2013. The day was dubbed "Thanksgivukkah." One product made specifically for Thanksgivukkah…
Menuspeak
"Menuspeak" (or "menu-speak") is the language that is used on menus. Foreign terms are often used and the language is often excessively descriptive, making plain dishes more…
MePa (Meat Packing District)
The "meat packing district" on the west side of Manhattan, around 14th Street, has turned into a "meet" market almost overnight. The new name is "Mepa" or…
Mercedes Marxist
A "Mercedes Marxist" is someone who wants everyone to share the wealth (such as in Marxism) -- everyone, that is, except himself or herself (who gets to ride a Mercedes or another…
Merger Monday
Companies often hold negotiations during the weekend and prepare important business announcements for Monday. So many mergers and acquisitions were announced on Mondays in the 1990s that the term…
Mermaid Parade
Old Coney Island used to have many parades. The "Mermaid Parade" was started in 1983 in that same grand tradition. This is not sponsored by Disney, so don't look for "the little…
Meroir (sea version of terroir)
"Meroir" (from the Latin mer, "sea") is a newer variation on the popular word "terroir" (from terre, "land"). Terroir might concern itself with what…
Mess Box
The "mess box" is a pantry that old-time cooks had attached to the rear or their "mess wagons." A "mess wagon" was also called a "chuck wagon," and its…