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…
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores
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…
Piled Higher and Deeper (“Ph.D.” backronym)
The college degrees of B.S., M.S., Ph.D. and M.D. are jokingly said to stand for "bullshit," "more shit" (or "more of the same"), "piled higher and deeper"…
Pilgrim
"Pilgrim" was a term used from at least the 1860s to refer to a new person to the West -- a "greenhorn" or "tenderfoot." It's said that the "pilgrim"…
Pilgrim (sandwich of Thanksgiving leftovers)
Entry in progress -- B.P. The long list of the names of sandwiches served on long rolls includes blimpie, bomber, Cuban (medianoche), Dagwood, garibaldi, gondola, grinder, hero, hoagie, Italian,…
Piloncillo (Mexican Brown Sugar)
Piloncillo is unrefined brown sugar from Mexico that comes in a small conical shape. Piloncillo is served in drinks such as Cafe de Olla and champurrado., and the sugar can also be used in moles…
Pimp Steak (hot dog)
A "pimp steak" a frankfurter or hot dog. The term was used in Harlem in the 1940s-1950s and refers to an "inexpensive" steak. "Fine Fur Frankfurter — Pimp-steak" was…
PIMPCO (PIMCO nickname)
PIMCO (the Pacific Investment Management Company) was founded in 1971; it now has over a trillion dollars in investments. "PIMPCO" is an obvious nickname, used by those who believe that…
Pine Curtain
East Texas is home to the Piney Woods. For some people, the wooded area is the "pine curtain" -- another "-curtain" expression borrowed from Winston Churchill's famous…