The Big Apple
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About Archives Categories Index Search

May 21, 2017
Names/Phrases

“I took my son to Coney Island. I asked, ‘Wanna go in the Crazy House?’” (joke)

One Coney Island amusement was a "Crazy House," featuring walls at strange angles. New York-based comedian Rodney Dangerfield, filling in for syndicated entertainment columnist Jack…

November 20, 2013
Names/Phrases

“I was in love with Harlem long before I got there”

American poet Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was born in Missouri, but arrived in New York City in the 1920s to attend Columbia College. In his autobiography, The Big Sea (1940), Hughes wrote: "I…

March 7, 2006
Names/Phrases

“I will bring you down to Chinatown!”

"I will bring you down to Chinatown!" is what actor Robert De Niro said to Ben Stiller in the film comedy Meet the Parents (2000). De Niro meant that he would rough Stiller up (maybe with…

February 5, 2021
Names/Phrases

“I will take you down to Chinatown!”

"I will bring you down to Chinatown!" is what actor Robert De Niro said to Ben Stiller in the film comedy Meet the Parents (2000). De Niro meant that he would rough Stiller up (maybe with…

October 2, 2011
Names/Phrases

“I’d rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the one who sold it”

"Call me a rube and a hick, but I’d a lot rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the man who sold it" is a line attributed to the humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935). The…

January 28, 2019
Names/Phrases

“I’m crazy about the Big Apple”

The Committee in the Public Interest sought to improve New York City's public image in 1976, leading to its hosting of the Democratic National Convention that year. William E.…

April 11, 2017
Names/Phrases

“I’m from New York. We don’t keep calm”

"I'm from New York. We don't keep calm" and "I can't keep calm. I'm from New York" are New York City versions of the British World War II "Keep Calm and…

February 3, 2021
Names/Phrases

“I’m in a bad place right now. Not mentally. I just live in New Jersey”

"I'm in a bad place right now. Not mentally. Just [X]" is a meme that has been printed on many images. "In a bad place right now. Not emotionally, just at work..." was…

February 3, 2021
Names/Phrases

“I’m in a bad place right now. Not mentally. Just New York”

"I'm in a bad place right now. Not mentally. Just [X]" is a meme that has been printed on many images. "In a bad place right now. Not emotionally, just at work..." was…

September 16, 2019
Names/Phrases

“I’m from New York, where people say ‘you’re welcome’ to remind you to say ‘thank you’”

"I’m from New York, where people say 'you’re welcome' to remind you to say 'thank you'" is a saying that has been printed on many images. Some of the images…

December 7, 2025
Holidays/Events/ParadesMusic/Dance/Theatre/Film/CircusNames/Phrases

“I’m waiting for a reverse Hallmark Christmas Movie about a small town girl who realizes her community’s politics are terrible, moves to Manhattan…”

In a typical Hallmark Channel Christmas movie, the protagonist (a young woman) becomes disillusioned in the big city (such as New York City), and finds the true meaning of Christmas right in her…

August 17, 2011
Names/Phrases

“If (...) then the terrorists win”

"If (we change our behavior or sacrifice our freedoms), the terrorists have won" became a popular phrase after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.…

April 11, 2017
Names/Phrases

“If you don’t like my Brooklyn attitude, quit talking to me”

"If you don't like my Brooklyn attitude, quit talking to me" is a jocular Brooklyn saying that has been printed on T-shirts. "A T-shirt that read, 'If you don't like…

September 25, 2018
Names/Phrases

“If you follow your heart just right, it will get you to New York City”

" If you follow your heart just right it’ll get you to New York City" was posted on Facebook by Cheryl Pandemonium on January 20, 2018. "If you follow your heart just right, it…

October 21, 2008
Names/Phrases

“If you live in New York, you’re Jewish” (Lenny Bruce)

New York comedian Lenny Bruce (1925-1966) was known for his off-color material in the 1960s. In one routine, he explained what "Jewish" was, as opposed to "goyish" (not Jewish).…

January 15, 2012
Names/Phrases

“If you want to be a hero, join the fire department” (police saying)

"If you want to be a hero, join the fire department" is a New York police saying, popularized in 2004 in an ABC News documentary on the New York Police Department. The saying means that…

January 12, 2010
Names/Phrases

“If you’re bored in New York, it’s your own fault”

The actress and New York City resident Myrna Loy (1905-1993) wrote in her 1987 autobiography: "If you’re bored in New York, it’s your own fault. Something’s always happening. But in…

October 17, 2015
Names/Phrases

“In New York, it’s not whether you win or lose — it’s how you lay the blame”

Grantland Rice (1880-1954) wrote, "For when the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name; He marks -- not that you won or lost -- but how you played the Game." American author…

October 19, 2008
Names/Phrases

“In New York, you can have a great job, a great apartment and a great companion, but not all three”

It's sometimes said that, in New York City, you can have a good job, a good apartment and a good companion -- but not all three at the same time. The origin of the saying is unknown. The…

September 5, 2021
Names/Phrases

“It must be a pain in the ass to remove all those web lines that Spider-Man leaves behind in NYC”

The comic superhero Spider-Man shoots spider webs all over New York City, but who cleans them up? "Who cleans up the webs that Spider-Man leaves behind in the streets of New York?…

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BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

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