South Hudson Institute of Technology (West Point nickname)
The United States Military Academy at West Point (about fifty miles north of New York City on the Hudson River) is an elite educational institution that was founded in 1802. Students who…
Spellebrity (spelling bee + celebrity)
"Spellebrity" ("spelling bee" + celebrity) refers to a notable contestant in a spelling bee, such as the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The E.W. Scripps Company trademarked…
Spelling Bee (Spelling Match)
Entry in progress -- B.P. [This entry was prepared with the research assistance of Ben Zimmer,] Wikipedia: Spelling beeA spelling bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell words.…
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) -- often given as "STEM fields" or "STEM education" -- is a popular acronym for a scientific area of specialization.…
Sternie (Howard Stern fan; NYU Stern School of Business or Yeshiva University Stern College student)
"Sternie" can mean several things in New York City. First, a "Sternie" can be a fan of radio "shock jock" Howard Stern. Stern was born in the New York City area and…
Student Affluence Test (“SAT” backronym)
The SAT test (popularly used in college admissions) once stood for “Scholastic Aptitude Test” and then “Scholastic Assessment Test.” There have been many backronyms (back acronyms) for…
Stupid Ass Test (“SAT” backronym)
The SAT test (popularly used in college admissions) once stood for "Scholastic Aptitude Test" and then "Scholastic Assessment Test." There have been many backronyms (back…
Sucks Children’s Happiness Out Of Life (“school” backronym)
"Sucks Children's Happiness Out Of Life" is a jocular backronym (back acronym) of the word "school." "S.C.H.O.O.L= Sucks Children's Happiness Out of Life"…
Summer Melt (college admissions)
Colleges admit students in April, but sometimes those students drop out and don't enroll as freshmen in August-September. There could be financial or other reasons for why the students decide…
Summer Slide (summer learning regression)
"Summer slide" is what school children forget as they leave school and June and return to school in September. Summer reading programs are often arranged to protect against a "summer…
SUNY-Harlem (Columbia University)
Columbia University is an Ivy League college. It is not a member college of the State University of New York. Columbia University is located near Harlem. "SUNY-Harlem" is a recent,…
Super Senior (student who takes longer to graduate)
College is normally four years to receive an undergraduate degree; someone who stays longer is often called a "fifth year senior" or a "super senior." "Heck, I'm a…
Teacherpreneur (teacher + entrepreneur)
"Teacherpreneur" (teacher + entrepreneur) is a word that has been popular since at least 2008. The word "teacherpreneurs" has been defined (see the tweet, below, from August 5,…
Terriers (St. Francis College teams)
St. Francis College in Brooklyn ("The small college of big dreams") has some competitive sports teams. For reasons that its website does not explain, those teams are nicknamed the…
Toaster (Columbia University Law School)
Columbia University's Law School has been said to look like a toaster. That's one of the better comments on several of Columbia's newer buildings.…
True Happiness Ended Since It Started (“thesis” backronym)
Working on a thesis can be an all-encompassing endeavor. The word "thesis" is not an acronym, but it's sometimes been given the backronym (back acronym) of "True Happiness Ended…
Underwater Basket Weaving (easy, nonsense college course)
"Underwater basket weaving" (or "basketweaving") is a joke college course that is known to be an easy grade and/or a worthless subject. Few colleges and universities teach…
University in Exile (New School for Social Research)
The New School for Social Research was famous for its "University in Exile" during the 1930s. Many Jewish scholars, discarded by universities in Nazi Germany, came to New York City to…
University of Havana-North (Columbia University)
Television show commentator Bill O'Reilly (host of he O'Reilly Factor on Fox News) called Columbia University "University of Havana-North" in his "Talking Points" memo…
University of Life
The "university of life" is the experience gained outside of formal schooling. The term "university of life" has been cited in print since at least 1853. A term similar to the…