Hugmen (New York Yankees nickname)
Baseball manager Miller Huggins (1878-1929) managed the St. Louis Cardinals (1913-1917) and the New York Yankees (1918-1929). Both teams were sometimes nicknamed "Hug's Men" or…
Human Chop Shop (Planned Parenthood nickname)
A "chop shop" is an auto body "shop" where vehicles are "chopped" up for their parts. Abortion clinics have also been called "chop shops." "I agree with…
Human Google (New York Public Library help desk nickname)
The New York Public Library has an "Ask NYPL" help line staffed by librarians to answer queries. The Google search engine now answers most people's queries, but Ask NYPL still exists…
Hummingbird Cake
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Hummingbird CakeHummingbird cake is a banana-pineapple spice cake common in the Southern United States. Ingredients include flour, sugar, salt, vegetable oil,…
Hummus
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: HummusHummus is a Levantine Arab food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It is…
Hump Day
"Hump Day" is a day that gets people "over the hump" (over 50% completion of something). The "hump day" of the seven-day week is Wednesday. The term "hump…
Hungarian Boulevard or Hungarian Broadway (East 79th Street in Yorkville)
Both "Little Hungary" and "Little Germany" used to be located in Manhattan's lower east side. Gradually, both communities moved uptown to Yorkville. Yorkville's East…
Hydrogin (hydrogen + gin)
"Oxygin" (oxygen + gin) and "hydrogin" (hydrogen + gin) are jocular terms. A now-classic joke was printed in Manners: A Novel by Miss Francis Moore: "Every body learns…
Hylan’s Holes (abandoned, incomplete Staten Island Tunnel)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Staten Island TunnelThe Staten Island Tunnel is an abandoned, incomplete railway/subway tunnel in New York City. It was intended to connect railways on Staten…
Hymietown; Jew York (Jew + New York)
"Jew York" and "Hymietown" are two terms that reflect New York City's large Jewish population. Both terms are usually considered derogatory. The poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972)…
Hyperpalatable
"Hyperpalatable" (and also "hyperpalatability") was coined by American author and administrator David A. Kessler in his book, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the…
Hypotwit (hypocrite + twit/Twitter)
"hypotwit a cross between a hypocrit and a twit, also how small kids miss pronounce the word!" was posted in the Urban Dictionary on March 30, 2005. This was before Twitter.…
I Eta Pi (fictional fraternity)
"Iota Eta Pi" or "I Eta Pi" is a fictional fraternity name made to sound like "I ate a pie." "I. Eta Pi" has been cited in print since at least 1908 and was…
I-95 Primary (Northeast presidential primaries)
The U.S. presidential primaries on Tuesday, April 26, 2016, held in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, were dubbed the “I-95 Primary." Interstate…
I.O.U.S.A. (IOU + USA)
"I.O.U.S.A." (IOU + USA) was printed in an income tax poem by an anonymous author that appeared in several newspapers since 1952: "Income tax is almost due,And this makes me,…
I’d rather be a lamppost in New York than mayor anywhere else
This saying goes way, way back. It has been said in various forms; a friend of mine remembers the boxer Sonny Liston saying that he'd rather be a lamppost in Harlem than mayor of Philadelphia.…
I’ve got a hunch that I don’t have any money left over after paying for college. It’s all intuition”
"Intuition" sounds like "in tuition," and there are jokes. I've got a hunch that I don't have any money left over after paying for college. It's all…
Iatrogenic Government
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927-2003) was the United States Senator from New York when he wrote the essay "Iatrogenic Government: Social Policy and Drug Research" for The American Scholar…
ICE (Income, Credit and Equity)
"ICE" is an acronym for "income, credit and equity" -- three things that banks look for before issuing a mortgage or a loan. "ICE" has been cited in print since at…
Ice Cream Fruit (cherimoya nickname)
The cherimoya is a fruit of the species Annona cherimola and is commonly found in Peru. as well as other parts of South America and Central America. It has been called the "ice cream…