Rabbi Hole (rabbi + rabbit hole)
"Rabbi hole" (rabbi + rabbit hole) is a term that went viral after secret tunnels were discovered at the World Headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, a synagogue located at 770…
Read-In
A "read-in" (or "read in") protest takes its inspiration from the 1960s civil rights "sit-in" protests. "Read-ins" are usually held to protest cuts in a…
Readathon
A "readathon" (reading + marathon) is when there is a long session of reading; there may be many readers and there may be just one book (such as the Bible, a novel, a dictionary or…
Ring of Steel (proposed security measure)
London developed a "ring of steel" in the 1990s to protect the city against terrorist threats. A similar "ring of steel" has been proposed for downtown Manhattan.…
Scratchiti
Graffiti marks scratched into glass or plastic (such as subway windows) are sometimes called "scratchiti" or "scratchitti." The word was coined by Newsday writer Dennis Duggan…
Sea Gulls of the Sink (roaches); Rats with Wings (pigeons)
"Sea gulls of the sink" = cockroaches."Rats with wings" = pigeons. These are two colorful New York terms. The first ("sea gulls of the sink") has really just been used…
Second Avenue Subway Cough (Second Avenue Subway Syndrome)
The "Second Avenue Subway cough" (also called "Second Avenue Subway Syndrome") is a health problem associated with the construction of Manhattan's Second Avenue Subway. The…
Sermon on the Mound (Pope delivering Mass at Yankee Stadium)
Pope Paul VI gave Mass at Yankee Stadium in October 1965. It was quickly called the "Sermon on the Mound" -- a linguistic borrowing from the "Sermon on the Mount." Pope John…
Sis-boom-bah (skyrocket cheer)
"Sis-boom-bah" is the sound of a skyrocket and quickly became a football cheer at Princeton University. Did it begin with New York's Seventh Regiment? The following is a post by Ben…
Skyscraper National Park (Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.)
Novelist Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. called New York City "Skyscraper National Park" in Slapstick, or Lonesome No More (1976). "Skyscraper National Park" is also the title of a music CD…
Smiley Face
Smiling faces have existed for a very long time, but who invented the "smiley"? In 1962-63, WMCA's 'Good Guys" radio station had a logo of a "smiley" -- a…
Sovereign District (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York)
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) often handles nationally prominent cases. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York…
Sputniks (Metropolitan Opera House chandeliers)
The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center has "starburst" chandeliers than many have called "Sputniks," after the Russian satellite. The chandeliers were a gift from the…
Staten Island Tuxedo
A "Staten Island tuxedo" has been described as a velour track suit, often worn by Italian men from Staten Island. The "Staten Island tuxedo" term has been in the Urban…
Stexit (Staten Island + exit)
"Grexit" (Greece/Greek + exit) spawned many similar terms. "Stexit" (Staten Island + exit) is a name for a possible exit of Staten Island from New York City. "Staten Island…
Street Smart & Street-Wise
"Street smart" perhaps started on the mean streets of New York City in the late 1950s-early 1960s. "Street-wise" is the slightly earlier term. (Oxford English…
Strip Tease
New York City has a Museum of Sex. Not only did we give the world the "hooker," but we also started "strip tease." "Strip tease" grew out of burlesque, about…
Successful Fire (Jewish Lightning)
On June 5, 2000, NYU librarian George Thompson submitted this, on "successful fires" and "Jewish lightning," to the American Dialect Society list. I'll try to update it…
Tar Beach
"Tar Beach" is the rooftop (often composed of tar) where one can sit and get a tan, as if on the beach. The term "tar beach" has been cited in print since at least 1941. New…
The Bronx? No Thonx!
The Bronx?No thonx! This - one of the shortest poems ever - is the product of Ogden Nash (1902-1971). It was called a "Geographical Reflection" in his book Hard-Lines (1931). In 1964,…