Hummingbird Cake
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Hummingbird CakeHummingbird cake is a banana-pineapple spice cake common in the Southern United States. Ingredients include flour, sugar, salt, vegetable oil,…
New York City
Hummus
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: HummusHummus is a Levantine Arab food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It is…
Hump Day
"Hump Day" is a day that gets people "over the hump" (over 50% completion of something). The "hump day" of the seven-day week is Wednesday. The term "hump…
Hungarian Boulevard or Hungarian Broadway (East 79th Street in Yorkville)
Both "Little Hungary" and "Little Germany" used to be located in Manhattan's lower east side. Gradually, both communities moved uptown to Yorkville. Yorkville's East…
Huntsvegas (Huntsville nickname)
Huntsville, Alabama, is the largest of the many "Huntsvilles" in the United States. By at least 1992, Huntsville (called "Rocket City" because of the NASA Marshall Space Flight…
Hurricane Cocktail (Hurricane Punch)
The Hurricane Cocktail is said to have been invented at Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans, a bar that began in 1933. Whiskey had been in short supply during World War II, but rum was readily…
Hush Puppies
The exact origin and reason for the name "hush puppies" remain a mystery. It's known that "corn dodgers" were eaten all throughout the South. Pinpointing the origin of when…
Hustle Town or Hustletown (Houston nickname)
"Hustle Town" (or "Hustletown") is a nickname for the city of Houston. There was a night club (ca. 2000) called Hustle Town in Houston. The nickname "Hustle Town" is…
Huttoan (inhabitant of Hutto)
"Huttoan” is the name of an inhabitant of Hutto, Texas. The name “Huttoan” (the term used in The Hutto News) has been cited in print since at least 2005. Wikipedia: Hutto, TexasHutto is…
Hydrogin (hydrogen + gin)
"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…
Hylan’s Holes (abandoned, incomplete Staten Island Tunnel)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Staten Island TunnelThe Staten Island Tunnel is an abandoned, incomplete railway/subway tunnel in New York City. It was intended to connect railways on Staten…
Hymietown; Jew York (Jew + New York)
"Jew York" and "Hymietown" are two terms that reflect New York City's large Jewish population. Both terms are usually considered derogatory. The poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972)…
Hyperpalatable
"Hyperpalatable" (and also "hyperpalatability") was coined by American author and administrator David A. Kessler in his book, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the…
Hypodermic Needle (Freedom Tower, latest design)
The latest design for the Freedom Tower (the building planned for the World Trade Center area) is said to look like a "hypodermic needle." This replaces the design that was said to look…
Hypotwit (hypocrite + twit/Twitter)
"hypotwit a cross between a hypocrit and a twit, also how small kids miss pronounce the word!" was posted in the Urban Dictionary on March 30, 2005. This was before Twitter.…
I Eta Pi (fictional fraternity)
"Iota Eta Pi" or "I Eta Pi" is a fictional fraternity name made to sound like "I ate a pie." "I. Eta Pi" has been cited in print since at least 1908 and was…
I-95 Primary (Northeast presidential primaries)
The U.S. presidential primaries on Tuesday, April 26, 2016, held in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, were dubbed the “I-95 Primary." Interstate…
I.O.U.S.A. (IOU + USA)
"I.O.U.S.A." (IOU + USA) was printed in an income tax poem by an anonymous author that appeared in several newspapers since 1952: "Income tax is almost due,And this makes me,…
I’d rather be a lamppost in New York than mayor anywhere else
This saying goes way, way back. It has been said in various forms; a friend of mine remembers the boxer Sonny Liston saying that he'd rather be a lamppost in Harlem than mayor of Philadelphia.…
I’ve got a hunch that I don’t have any money left over after paying for college. It’s all intuition”
"Intuition" sounds like "in tuition," and there are jokes. I've got a hunch that I don't have any money left over after paying for college. It's all…