Ostrich Economics
People who refuse to see what is happening are compared to the ostrich, an animal that -- according to the myth -- buries its head in the sand. "Ostrich economics" is a policy promoted by…
People who refuse to see what is happening are compared to the ostrich, an animal that -- according to the myth -- buries its head in the sand. "Ostrich economics" is a policy promoted by…
The city of Oswego , New York, was known as the "Starch City" from 1848 to about the 1920s. The Oswego Starch Factory opened in 1848, and Oswego became the corn starch capital of the…
Brooklyn's Ebinger's Bakery operated from 1898 until 1972; a bakery revived the Ebinger's name briefly in 1982. "Othello" was a signature product, but the recipe was never…
The Border Patrol on the United States-Mexican border have called a (usually illegal) immigrant not from Mexico as an "OTM," or "Other Than Mexican." OTMs have usually been from…
"Sam, Mike and Will" (strongside, middle and weakside) are popular linebacker names, but there is also "Otto." The name "Otto" was coined by Jacksonville Jaguars head…
"Our Lady of New York" is the statue in an altar at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. Unless you're referring to the Botero. 14 April 1942, New York Times, pg.…
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) was created in the Occupational Health and Safety Act signed into law on December 20, 1970, to issue and enforce standards for workplace…
An "out-of-pocket" expense or cost is something that someone has to pay himself or herself. For example, on a business trip, there could be out-of-pocket expenses such as gas and meals.…
How can there be an "Outdoor Capital of Texas"? Isn't Texas all about the outdoors? It's all about business. Buda opened the stores Texas Outdoor Zone (in 2003) and the huge…
Manhattan is one borough of five, but the other four (the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island) are often called the "outer boroughs." The term "outer boroughs" was used…
"OuterB" is a Queens real estate blog that was named in January 2006. "OuterB" stands for "outer borough" (i.e., not the borough of Manhattan). The term has been…
Outback Steakhouse is a restaurant chain that began in Tampa, Florida, in 1988. The nickname "Outhouse Steakback" is a ""spoonerism" (or transposition) of the compunds…
Barack Obama's organization for his presidential run in 2008 was called 'Obama For America" (OFA). When Obama became president in January 2009, the organization was renamed…
"Overdoughse" (overdose + dough) is a jocular word to describe what might occur from eating too much cookie/pizza dough. "Approaching cookie overdoughse" was posted on Twitter…
"Sauerkraut" gave the word "kraut" (for "German"). "Overkrauted" -- like "overcrowded" -- can mean too many Germans or too much sauerkraut.…
"Overland trout" is a cowboy slang name for "bacon." The term "overland trout" was part of a larger cowboy slang list that was printed in many newspapers in 1887.…
"Owners' box" (or "owner's box") is the nickname for the gallery of the Texas House. In 2003, lobbyists sat there and the name "owners' box" was a sly…
Tex-Mex recipes call for a little heat applied to the normal breakfast dish of eggs. One popular dish is huevos rancheros. The dish of "Ox Eyes" ("Ojos de Buey" or "eggs in…
In September 2008, the Oxford English Dictionary added a full "Big Apple" definition. I contributed to some of this, but did not write the definition. (I wasn't even given a…
"Oxygin" (oxygen + gin) and "hydrogin" (hydrogen + gin) are jocular terms. A now-classic joke was printed in Manners: A Novel by Miss Francis Moore: "Every body learns…