Joos (spelling of “Jews”)
"Joo" is a spelling of the word "Jew," usually given in the plural as "Joos" or "Jooos" or "Joooos." The spelling "J-O-O" was popularized…
New York City
Journey Always Late or Just Arrives Late (Japan Airlines or JAL backronymic nickname)
Japan Airlines (JAL) was founded in 1953 and is the flag carrier of Japan. JAL was given the backronymic (back acronym) of "Joke About Life" in 1992, "Just About Late" and…
Journey Of the Broke (“job” backronym)
The word “job” is not an acronym for anything, but some have used the backronym (back acronym) of “journey of the broke.” The backronym has been applied to minimum wage and other low-paying…
Joy of Sake
"The Joy of Sake" is a new annual festival celebrating Japan's famous drink. Several of New York City's top restaurants participate.…
Joyflation (joy + deflation/inflation)
The term "joyflation" (joy + deflation/inflation) was coined by Oxford Economics Ltd. in December 2014. "Joyflation" referred to the oil-driven slowdown in inflation and…
JPig (JPMorgan Chase nickname)
"JPig" or "JPIG" is an unflattering nickname for the banking firm JPMorgan Chase & Co. The bank is partly named after financier John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913).…
Juan Smith (El Paso’s “John Q. Public”)
E. M. ("Ed") Pooley, editor of the El Paso (TX) Herald-Post from 1937-1963, was sympathetic to the "average Joes" in El Paso. Instead of John Q. Public or John Smith, Pooley…
Judas Steer
The "Judas steer" was the one who helped the cowboys lead the other animals to their destruction in the stockyards. The terms dates from the 1800s cattle drives. Western Slang, Lingo…
Jughead
"Jughead" (Jones) is the name of a character in the Archie comic strip, starting in December 1941. The United Homeless Organization (UHO) has members in front of many New York businesses,…
Juice Box (Minute Maid Park nickname)
"Juice Box" is the nickname of Houston's Minute Maid Park, home of baseball's Houston Astros. The hitter-friendly park was called Enron Field when it opened in 2000, but was…
Juice Crawl
"Juice crawl" is a juice version of the "pub crawl." The first juice crawl was organized for October 18, 2014 in New York City, with participants visiting the city's juice…
Jumbleberry Pie (Jumble Berry Pie)
"Jumbleberry" (or "jumble berry") is a term indicating a mixture of berries; there is a "jumbleberry pie," but other food items have also used the word.…
Jumbo State (Texas nickname)
Texas was called the "Jumbo State" in the late 1800s because it's a big state, like the famed "Jumbo" elephant was large. NetState.comThe Jumbo State: In 1882, P.T. Barnum…
Jumbotron
The "Jumbotron" television screen (from the word "jumbo" and the brand name of Sony's "Trinitron" screens) caused a sensation when it debuted in Times Square in…
Jump City (New Orleans nickname)
"Jump City" is an infrequently used nickname for New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans saxophone great Jerry Jumonville and his Jump City Band recorded the song "Jump City" in…
Juneteenth (June 19th, or Emancipation Day)
"Juneteenth" is the name that was used at least by 1890 for June 19, 1865. That day was also called "Emancipation Day" because it officially ended slavery in Texas. Handbook of…
Jungle Alley (West 133rd Street)
"Jungle Alley" was West 133rd Street in Harlem, between Lenox Avenue and Seventh Avenue. Many night clubs, speakeasies and fried chicken restaurants were located there. "Jungle…
Junk Food
"Junk food" became a popular term in the 1970s for the fast food and sweets in the American diet. New York magazine food critic Gael Greene frequently used "junk food" from at…
Junket
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wiktionary: junketNounjunket (plural junkets)1.(obsolete) A basket.2.A type of cream cheese, originally made in a rush basket; later, a food made of sweetened curds or…
Jurassic Park (Morgan Stanley office for its older bankers)
The financial firm of Morgan Stanley moved its "dinosaur" investment banking partners to a floor in a building at 1221 Avenue of the Americas in New York City, a few blocks from Morgan…