Wyoming Ketchup (liquor)
Broadway columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) used the term "Wyoming ketchup" for "liquor." The term was not explained, but perhaps Winchell felt that liquor was a mere…
Yaka Mein
"Ya-ka-mein" (there are many spellings) is a Chinese dish of noodle soup. Other ingredients are often added, such as beef. "Yei go main" was cited in the New York (NY) World on…
Yakisoba (Japanese stir-fried noodles)
"Yakisoba" (or "yaki soba") is a Japanese dish of stir-fried wheat-flour noodles, accompanied by vegetables and whatever meat is desired. Many different combinations of yakisoba…
Yakitori (Japanese skewered chicken)
"Yakitori" (or "yaki tori") is a Japanese dish of chicken and vegetables on skewers, heated over a charcoal flame. "Yaki" means "roasted." The skewering…
Yale (cocktail)
The Yale cocktail (a tribute to Yale University in New Haven, CT) has probably been served most at Manhattan's Yale Club, on Vanderbilt Avenue just opposite Grand Central Terminal. The Yale…
Yankee Stadium Big Boy (Mike’s Deli sandwich)
Mike's Deli has been an Arthur Avenue (Italian section of the Bronx) institution since 1951. The Arthur Avenue Cookbook (2004) featured a recipe of Mike Deli's "Yankee Stadium Big…
Yellow Blanket on a Dead Cow (cheeseburger)
"Yellow blanket on a dead cow" is sometimes said to be diner slang for a cheeseburger. The "yellow blanket" is cheese, and the "dead cow" is a hamburger. However,…
YOLOMAWMIT (You Only Live Once, Might As Well Make It Tasty)
"YOLOMAWMIT" (You Only Live Once, Might As Well Make It Tasty) is a variation on the popular acronym "YOLO" (You Only Live Once). "YOLOMAWMIT" has been printed on…
Yoo Hoo (soft drink and slang phrase)
"Yoo Hoo" is a popular chocolate soft drink. The New York Yankees helped to advertise the drink in the 1950s, and Yankee star Yogi Berra has long promoted the product. The phrase…
Yum (Yum-Yum; Yummy; Yumptious; Yum-O)
"Yum" is used to express satisfaction, especially in regard to food that one has tasted. The food can be described as "yum-yum," "yummy," and even "yum-o."…
Za (pizza)
"Za" is a clipped form of the word "pizza." The term "za" has been cited in print since the 1960s, but achieved its greatest slang popularity in the 1980s. (Oxford…
Zapplesauce
"Zapplesauce" (applesauce fortified with energy producing maltodextrin, a complex carbohydrate) was developed by the U.S. Department of the Army as part of a Meal Ready to Eat (MRE). The…
Zeppelin Sandwich (Zep Sandwich)
Entry in progress -- B.P. The long list of the names of sandwiches served on long rolls includes blimpie, bomber, Cuban (medianoche), Dagwood, garibaldi, gondola, grinder, hero, hoagie, Italian,…
Zerok (“fork” with no prong/tine)
"Fork" does not have the number "four" in it, but some people believe that a "fork" with three prongs/tines should be called a "threek." It then follows that…
Zombie (cocktail)
Entry in progress -- B.P. “I said, ‘Make me a Zombie.’ The bartender said, ‘God beat me to it'" is a Rodney Dangerfield joke on the Zombie cocktail. [This entry was prepared with…
Zucchini Sticks
It appears that this popular appetizer began in a New York City restaurant, probably Theodore's. 19 February 1949, New York Herald Tribune, pg. 11, col. 6:She folds the veal turnover style,…