Vaudeville
"Variety" had been the name for what became known as "vaudeville" in the United States. (See the entry for "variety" here.) A citation below claims that George Lederer…
Wait in Times Square and eventually everyone you know will pass
Times Square has always been crowded with people. It's an old New York City proverb that, if you wait long enough in Times Square, everyone you know will pass by you. The proverb dates back to…
Wazzitoyuh (“What’s it to you?”)
The Work Progress Administration's 1938 Almanac for New Yorkers contained a page about New York City speech: "Wazzitooyuh? Delicate rebuff to an excessively curious questioner." The…
Welcome to New York & New York Hello
"Welcome to New York" (or "New York Hello") can be a sincere greeting or a warning of the horrors to come. The sarcastic version probably comes from the army or the National…
Whaddya, Whaddya (Whaddaya, Whaddaya)
"Whaddya, whaddaya" (or "whaddaya, whaddaya") is supposedly a New York City saying, but it can also be found on The Sopranos television program. It means "what do…
What are you going to do about it?
"What are you going to do about it?" was the 1870s slogan regarding the corrupt Tammany Hall ring. Cartoonist Thomas Nast used the phrase in his many famous "Tammany tiger"…
When I make a mistake, it’s a beaut!
Mayor Fiorello La Guardia was reminded that a judge he'd disagreed with had been appointed by him. "When I make a mistake, it's a beaut!" he declared. The line became famous and…
When you leave New York…
"When you leave New York..." There are many ways to finish this, but all generally tell you that you're not going anywhere special. "When you leave New York you are camping…
Who Owns New York?
"Who Owns New York" is a Columbia University fight song, and it goes like this: Oh, who owns New York?Oh, who owns New York?Oh, who owns New York the people say.Why, we own New York!Yes,…
Wilding (“Central Park Jogger” incident)
In April 1989, a woman was assaulted and raped while she was jogging in Central Park. The press quickly referred to the victim as the "Central Park Jogger" and to the incident with a new…
World Trade Center Cough
The World Trade Center came down by a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Several firefighters developed a cough, unlike the coughs they had fighting fires. Dr. David Prezant, chief pulmonary…
World’s Most Famous Christmas Tree
The lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center is now a big event, broadcast nationally around the world. The first tree was set up there in 1931 and the first celebrated lighting…
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
Why exactly is this Christmas letter to the old New York Sun so famous? Because people want to believe in Santa Claus? The famed "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" letter to…
Yuge (huge)
"Yuge' (or "yooge") for "huge" has been a part of New York speech. Boxing promoter Bob Arum (born in New York City in 1931), said in 1995, "the biggest-grossing…
Zipper
The "zipper" is that strip of news that goes around the building at 1 Times Square, at 42nd Street and Broadway. The "zipper" has been "down" a few times in its…
Zuccotti Lung
In 2011, Zuccotti Park (formerly called Liberty Plaza Park, opposite the World Trade Center) filled up with Occupy Wall Street protesters. Some of the protesters starting coughing and labeled it…