Rectum Rocket (White Castle hamburger nickname)
White Castle's hamburgers have been unofficially called "rectum rockets" since at least 1986 because of what the hamburgers supposedly do to the human digestive system. Other…
Red Beans and Rice
"Red beans and rice" is an important Creole dish in New Orleans, Louisiana. The term "red beans and rice" was cited in print in The Daily Picayune (New Orleans, LA) on June 13,…
Red Diamond (goji berry nickname)
Goji berries (also called wolfberries) have long been popular in China, but were almost unknown in the United States before 2002. The commercially promoted health qualities of goji juice helped to…
Red Flannel Hash
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: FlannelRed Flannel Hash is a breakfast hash originally from New England that involves beets. Here is the legend: Suspecting her husband of unfaithfulness a…
Red Hook (cocktail)
Red Hook used to be a rough area of Brooklyn filled with longshoremen, but Red Hook is rapidly being gentrified. In 2008, New York City's first IKEA store opened there. The Red Hook cocktail…
Red Hots
"Red hots" came into use before the term "hot dogs." Some say that Harry Stevens coined "red hots" at the Polo Grounds in the early 1900s. Like the standard "hot…
Red Ink (cheap red wine)
"Red ink" has been a nickname for "cheap red wine" since at least 1863. The nickname was frequently used in Italian restaurants in America, which were called "red ink…
Red Mike and Violets (corned beef and cabbage)
"Red Mike and violets" was hash house slang for a dish of "corned beef and cabbage." Corned beef is red, cabbage is violet and "Mike" is a traditional Irish name.…
Refrigerator Jenga
Jenga is a game where players take turns removing one block at a time from a tower of 54 blocks. If the tower collapses, that player "loses" and the other players "win."…
Reindeer Chow (cereal snack)
"Puppy chow" is a snack where Chex or Crispix cereal is coated with melted chocolate and peanut butter, and then dusted with powdered sugar. The name comes from when the Ralston Purina…
Reuben Sandwich (and Rachel Sandwich, Celebrity Sandwiches)
Arnold Reuben (1883-1970) began his restaurant in the 1910s and it became famous for its celebrity-named sandwiches, a tradition continued by the Stage Deli and Carnegie Deli and others. Reuben…
Rhubarb (a heated dispute)
The term "rhubarb" (meaning a heated dispute) is sometimes said to have started in 1938 or 1939, when a Brooklyn Dodgers fan shot and killed a New York Giants fan in an argument. New York…
Rib-Off
A "rib-off" (not a "rip-off," and having nothing to do with "Adam's rib") is also called a "rib cook-off." It's a cooking contest where ribs and…
Rich Boy (sandwich)
New Orleans, Louisiana, is known for its "poor boy" ("po' boy") sandwich. However, at about the same time as the birth of the "po' boy," Martin J. Cull…
Rickey (Gin Rickey; Lime Rickey)
The "rickey" drink is named after Colonel Joe Rickey of Missouri (who died in New York City in 1903). The drink was first mixed by George Williamson at Shoomaker's in Washington,…
Riding Club (cocktail)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 21 May 1893, Cleveland (OH) Plain Dealer, pg. 17, col. 2:THE MANHATTAN.The Greatest of American Democratic Clubs.The Manhattan club at Fifth avenue and Thirty-fourth…
Rob Roy (cocktail)
In 1894, the opera Rob Roy opened around Herald Square. The old Waldorf Hotel was near Herald Square. It is probably correct that the "Rob Roy" cocktail began at the Waldorf in 1894 or…
Rocket 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,…
Rocky Road (ice cream)
"Rocky Road" is a candy or an ice cream flavor of chocolate, marshmallows and nuts. Rocky Road was popularized in California, Oregon and Washington in the 1920s. "Rocky Road A…
Roll with a Hole (bagel)
A bagel has been called a "roll with a hole" (or "roll with the hole") since at least 1944. The rhyming "roll-with-a-hole" made a newspaper headline by at least 1972.…