Astroturf (Astroturfing)
"AstroTurf" is a proprietary name (trademarked in 1968) for an artificial grass. While a "grassroots" political campaign has authentic support, an "astroturf" campaign…
Attaboy
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Oxford English Dictionary)attaboy, int.Etymology: Said to represent careless pronunciation of that's the boy! (boy n.1 3b).slang (chiefly U.S.).An exclamation…
Attention-Interest-Desire-Action (“AIDA” of marketing)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: AIDA (marketing)AIDA is an acronym used in marketing that describes a common list of events that are very often undergone when a person is selling a product or…
Audrey Munson (New York’s “Civic Fame” and “Miss Manhattan,” San Francisco’s “World’s Fair Girl”)
Audrey Munson photo links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Munsonhttp://jschumacher.typepad.com/audrey_munson/http://www.remnantsofadream.com/pages/appendix_6.htmlGoogle Images Audrey Munson…
Auld Mug (America’s Cup trophy nickname)
Thomas Lipton (1849-193), a Scotsman famed for his grocery stores and Lipton teas, wanted badly to win the America's Cup for England. He had yachts called Shamrock through Shamrock V, but he…
Aunt Chovie (“anchovy” pun)
"Aunt Chovy" (or "Aunt Chovie") is a pun on "anchovy." "'My Uncle Jim is a great fish-eater.' 'So's your Aunt Chovy'" was printed in…
Aunt Chovy (“anchovy” pun)
"Aunt Chovy" (or "Aunt Chovie") is a pun on "anchovy." "'My Uncle Jim is a great fish-eater.' 'So's your Aunt Chovy'" was printed in…
Aunt Jane (an unsophisticated investor)
"Aunt Jane” is Wall Street’s term for the average, unsophisticated investor. Personifying someone with an “aunt” or an “uncle” name is commonplace and is often difficult to trace…
Aunt Millie (an unsophisticated investor)
"Aunt Millie" (often said to be from Omaha or Dubuque) is Wall Street's term for the average, unsophisticated investor. "Aunt Agatha" is another name that is sometimes…
Aunt Sally’s Boutique (Salvation Army nickname)
The Salvation Army was founded in 1865; its thrift stores raise money on donations of gentlely used items. The nickname "Aunt Sally" for the Salvation Army's thrift store in New York…
Aurophobia (fear of gold)
"Aurophobia" means the fear of gold. (The symbol of gold is "au" for aurum.) The term was almost never used until the James Bond film Goldfinger (1964), when it was reported in…
Austerian (austerity + Austrian school of economics)
The word "austerian" (sometimes capitalized as "Austerian"), meaning someone who advocates "austerity" measures, became popular in June 2010. "Austerian"…
Austerical (austerity + hysterical)
"Austerical" (austerity + hysterical) is a term used by those who criticize austerity measures. "How do the Austerical Auks expect the private sector to create jobs in a period when…
Author’s Row (Jane Street in West Village, Manhattan)
Jane Street in the West Village of Manhattan, between Greenwich Avenue and Eighth Avenue (or Hudson Street), is sometimes called "Author's Row" because of the many famous writers who…
Autograt (automatic gratuity)
An "autograt" (automatic gratuity) is a gratuity (or "tip") that is automatically added to a bill, rather than a gratuity given at the customer's discretion. Many…
Autohoaxer; Autohoaxing
An "autohoaxer" is someone who believes that nearly everything that is shown on the mainstream media is a hoax. "The Hoaxer Movement - The Insanity of the Everything is a Hoax Crowd.…
Automat (or, Automated Restaurant)
The "Automat" is a German invention from 1896, originally called the "automated restaurant." Horn & Hardart opened the first American "Automat" in Philadelphia in…
Avenue of Architecture (Eighth Avenue)
The Times Square Allience coined the name "Avenue of Architecture" in 2008 for Manhattan's Eighth Avenue, between 40th Street and Columbus Circle. Several skyscrapers had been…
Avenue of Heroes; Canyon of Heroes
New York City celebrates heroes. There were many large "tickertape parades" before the 1940s, but "Avenue of Heroes" and "Canyon of Heroes" seem to both were…
Avinunca (Avianca nickname)
Avianca has been the flag carrier airline of Colombia since 1919 and originally stood for Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia S.A. The Avianca nickname -- popular in Colombia and elsewhere -- of…