Tin Pan Handle Alley (West 50th Street and Eighth Avenue)
Syndicated newspaper columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) wrote in a column in March 1949: "Sights You Never See on the New York Map: (...) 'Tin Pan Handle Alley' (50th Street near…
Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores
Tin Roof Sundae
The "tin roof sundae" usually contains peanuts and chocolate sauce on top of vanilla ice cream. "Tin roof sunday" is cited in a 1907 Mansfield (OH) newspaper; "tin roof…
Tin-pot Dictator (Tin-pot Dictatorship)
A "tin-pot dictator" is someone who is cheap or commonplace, with little political credibility. Tin pots came to symbolize in the 19th century something that is cheap and without much…
TINA (There Is No Alternative)
Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013), the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, often said that "there is no alternative" to her monetary policies. "SOME OF Mrs.…
Tinfoil Hat or Tin Foil Hat (Tinfoil Hat Brigade or Tin Foil Hat Brigade)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Tin foilTinfoil or tin foil is a thin leaf made of tin. Actual tin foil was superseded by cheaper and more durable aluminium foil after World War II, and…
Tinsel Town or Tinseltown (nickname of New York City, then Hollywood)
"Tinsel town" (or "tinseltown") means a place that is like tinsel -- shiny and bright on the surface, but fragile and not made of solid material. "Tinsel Town" by…
TINVOWOOT (There Is No Voting Our Way Out Of This)
TINVOWOOT (There Is No Voting Our Way Out Of This) is an acronym used by those who believe that voting (either for Democrats or Republicans) won't solve problems. Government spending, for…
Tip Jar
Many sandwich shops, coffee houses and ice cream shops have a "tip jar" (or "tip jug" or "tip can") near the cash register so that satisfied customers can add a…
Tip Sag (pizza slice tip sag)
"Tip sag" is the degree to which a slice of Neapolitan pizza sags. The tip is usually loaded with hot, gooey cheese. On the pizza blog Serious Eats -- Slice, Adam Kuban wrote on May 18,…
Tipsy Palmer or Tipsy Arnold Palmer (cocktail)
An "Arnold Palmer" drink combines lemonade and iced tea. A "Tipsy Palmer" (or "Tipsy Arnold Palmer") adds vodka or bourbon. "Tipsy Palmer" has been cited…
Tipsy Tuesday
"Tipsy Tuesday” is a drinking slang name for a day of the week. "Tipsy Tuesdays" was cited in print in 1981 and "Tipsy Tuesday" in 1982. Other slang names for days of the…
Tiramisunami (tiramisu + tsunami)
"Tiramisu" (a coffee-flavoured Italian dessert) and "tsunami" (a series of waves in a water body) are two foreign language words that are sometimes combined to form…
Titans (professional lacrosse team nickname)
A New York City professional lacrosse team was announced in 2006. A team nickname contest was held, and "Titans" was declared the winner. "Titans" was the early name of what…
Title Town or Titletown (usually Green Bay, WI, but also other sports cities)
Green Bay, Wisconsin, has called itself "Titletown" or "Titletown, U.S.A." (also "Title Town") since 1961 because of its successful football team, the Green Bay…
Tits-for-Tots (strip club “pole tax”)
"Tits for tots" (a pun on "tit-for-tat") was the nickname pf a proposed 2004 Texas strip club tax that would, supposedly, have raised revenue for the education of Texas…
TLA (three letter agency)
"TLA" is Washington, DC, federal government lingo for a "three letter agency," such as ATF, CIA, DHS, FBI, NSA, and so on. "TLA (Three Letter Agency)" has been cited…
Tlacoyo
Tlacoyos are antojitos (appetizers or snacks) that are popular in Mexico, but have been cited in restaurants in the United States since only the 1990s. "Tlacoyo" is from the Nahuatl words…
Tlayuda or Clayuda (Oaxacan “Mexican pizza”)
Tlayuda (also spelled "clayuda") is a specialty of Oaxaca, Mexico. Tlayuda/clayuda refers to a large corn tortilla, but it also refers to that same tortilla when topped with beans,…
TLC (Taxi & Limousine Commission; Tender, Loving Care)
The "TLC" is the "Taxi and Limousine Commission." The TLC may give you "tender, loving care," or it may not. "TLC=tender, loving care" is a military acronym…
Toast (“burned” football cornerback)
Elvis Patterson was a cornerback who first played for the New York Giants football team in 1984. Giants coach Bill Parcells nicknamed him "Toast" that year because Patterson frequently…