“Dese Dem Dose” (Brooklynese or New Yorkese language)
"Dese, dem and dose" for "these, them and those" is often viewed as typical uneducated language of rough people on the street. The language is often called…
“Did you hear about the man who jumped in the Hudson River? He committed sewercide”
The Hudson River -- especially around New York City -- has a reputation of pollution. A joke is: "Did you hear about the man who jumped in the Hudson River? He committed sewercide." The…
“Difference between my girls and married women is that my girls give a man his money’s worth”
New York City is no stranger to prostitution. Polly Adler wrote a book about it (A House Is Not a Home). Some of her quotes have been memorable. Wikipedia: Polly AdlerPearl "Polly" Adler…
“Do you know the way to the Empire State Building, or should I just go fuck myself?”
New Yorkers sometimes have a (probably unfair) reputation of being rude to tourists. If a tourist asks "Do you have the time?" or "Do you know the way to the Empire State…
“Even if you are one in a million, there are eight more of you in New York”
The expression "you're one in a million" means that a person is very special; a literal calculation of a million people is not intended. There is an expression "even if…
“Eyes on the street” (Jane Jacobs, 1961)
In her The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), author Jane Jacobs suggested that crime could be reduced by having "eyes on the street." The term began to be used by many…
“Feed a pigeon, breed a rat”
Some people feed pigeons in New York City, and rats eat the same food. "Feed a pigeon, breed a rat" was a poster made by New York City's Health Department. New York TimesF. Y. I.Feed…
“Foible (n): What cats in New York cough up”
"Furball" can sound like "foible" in a New York City accent. "Foible - what a New York cat does from time to time" was posted on the newsgroup rec.juggling on…
“Foible. In England, it’s a minor eccentricity in character. In New York, it’s what a cat pukes”
A joke on the New York City accent was posted on Twitter by Bob Kostic (and others) on January 11, 2015: "Foible. In England, it's a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone's…
“From hell to Harlem” (“From Hades to Harlem”)
"From hell to Harlem" (or "from Hades to Harlem") is a variation of the older expression "from hell to breakfast." It means a considerable distance or a long time, or…
“God created Brooklyn” (joke)
"God created Brooklyn is a humorous story that has been cited in print since at least 2011. Google Groups: Brooklyn Prep Class of 1969Fw: god created Brooklynfrank killea 2/20/11And God…
“Going all city” (graffiti slang)
"Going all city" means putting your graffiti on trains in every borough. Two movies -- Style Wars (1983) and Bomb the System (2005) -- have profiled "graffiti artists" or…
“Going to the city” (Manhattan)
People from Brooklyn and Queens are often said to be going to "the city" when they go into Manhattan. New York City has five boroughs. Each borough is part of "the city." The…
“Good things happen in an instant” & “Be ready” (New York Lottery Instant Games)
The New York Lottery Instant Games have used the trademarked slogan "Good Things Happen in an Instant" since July 8, 2002. In 2011, Instant Games used the slogan "Be Ready>"…
“Hard to find four innocent people in New York”
American humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935) wrote in January 1923: "Another innocent bystander was shot in New York yesterday. You just stand around this town long and be innocent and…
“He couldn’t find a Jew in the Bronx”
In the first half of the 20th century, many Jewish people escaped crowded Manhattan and took the newly built subway line to homes in the borough of the Bronx (often along its popular street, the…
“He speaks English with the flawless imperfection of a New Yorker”
Gilbert Millstein (1915-1999) wrote about Manhattan's famed French restaurant Lutèce (at 249 East 50th Street from 1961 to 2004) in Esquire magazine in January 1962: "He (founder Andre…
“Hello Brooklyn”
"Hello Brooklyn" is a popular saying the borough. There was a 1928 burlesque called "Hello, Brooklyn." "Adios Manhattan and hello Brooklyn" was printed in a 1986 book.…
“Hello, gorgeous!”
"Hello, gorgeous!" is what a man in the 1920s might have said to an attractive woman. The saying appears in print in Ainslee's magazine in September 1926. The saying appeared in…
“Hey there, Delilah. What’s it like in New York City?”
"Hey There Delilah" (2006) is a song by American rock band Plain White T's. "Hey there, Delilah. What's it like in New York City?" is a question asked at the…