Barnes and Ignoble (Barnes & Noble nickname)
Barnes & Noble began as a bookstore (it had been established in 1873 as a printing business) in 1886 in New York City. Barnes & Noble stores can be found in many malls across the United…
New York City
Barnes Dance
Henry Barnes was the city's traffic commissioner in the 1960s. He was known for the traffic scramble called the "Barnes Dance" to help pedestrians cross the streets safely. His…
Barns and No Bull (Barnes & Noble nickname)
Barnes & Noble booksellers began in New York City in 1886 and grew to become the largest retail bookseller in the United States. Barnes & Noble has been called "Barn(e)s and No…
Barstro (bar + bistro)
When Bar Artisanal opened in Tribeca (268 West Broadway, between Avenue Of The Americas & Lispenard Street) in 2009, owner Terrance Brennan remarked that it was a "barstro" -- a cross…
Bartender
A "bartender" (also "bar-tender" or "bar tender") is someone who "tends" to or serves drinks at a "bar." Other names for this job include…
Bartender’s Ketchup (St. Germain elderflower liqueur nickname)
Manhattan-born Robert Cooper (1976-2016) introduced St-Germain, an elderflower liqueur, in 2007. The product immediately caught on with several bars in New York City (such as Death & Co.) and…
Bartoonist (bar + cartoonist)
Bill Roundy is a cartoonist who reviews bars and draws them on his Bar Scrawl blog. Roundy is on Twitter @bartoonist (bar + cartoonist). The Brooklyn Paper (brooklyn, NY) publishes many of his…
Baseball Capital of Texas (Brenham nickname)
"Baseball Capital of Texas" is the unofficial nickname of Brenham in Washington County. High school baseball in Brenham has been ranked No. 1 in Texas. Washington County Chamber of…
Baseball cards (Queens)=Tickets (Brooklyn)
Baseball cards are popular all over the country. But why is (or was) the game called "tickets" in Brooklyn? The following citation is the only one I have on this. 8 July 1977, New York…
Baseball’s Cathedral (Yankee Stadium)
Yankee Stadium (both the one opened in 1923 and the one opened in 2009) has been called the "Cathedral of Baseball or "Baseball's Cathedral." "Yankee Stadium is the…
Baseball’s Home Office (Yankee Stadium)
Yankee Stadium (both the one opened in 1923 and the one opened in 2009) has called the "Home Office of Baseball" or "Baseball's Home Office." "John Smoltz said Yankee…
Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (“Bible” backronym)
"Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth" is a backronym (back acronym) for the word "BIBLE." The backronym has been cited in print since at least August 1992, when a jail…
Basketball (Basket Ball)
The game of basketball (first spelled "basket ball") became popular in 1892. The first college basketball game was played at Cornell University in February 1892. Supposed basketball…
Basketball Mecca (Madison Square Garden nickname)
Madison Square Garden is often called the "mecca," a puzzling term to many today. However, the term "mecca" was first applied to the second Madison Square Garden (at Madison…
Basketball on Grass (football spread offense)
A pass-happy pro football team with a spread offense is sometimes called "basketball on grass." The term has been cited in print since at least 1950, when it was observed in the Boston…
Basque Barbecue (Basque Barbeque)
A "Basque barbecue" is a lamb barbecue. A significant number of sheepmen (mostly in California and Nevada) were from the Basque region. The Basque barbecue dates to at least the early…
Bass Capital of Texas (Mount Pleasant nickname)
Mount Pleasant has called itself the "Bass Capital of Texas" since at least 1993. Four lakes provide ample bass fishing opportunities. The "bass capital" title is disputed by…
Bastropian (inhabitant of Bastrop)
"Bastropian” is the name of an inhabitant of Bastrop, Texas. The name “Bastropian” has been cited in print since at least 1892. "Bastropite" -- less frequently used -- has been…
Bat Bridge (Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin)
"Bat Bridge" is an obvious nickname for the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin. That's the bridge where the bats hang out until they start to fly away at dusk.…
Bat City (Austin nickname)
Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge was rehabilitated in 1982. Hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats chose the under-side of the bridge to sleep during the daytime, and the city of…