Body Man
A "body man" is a politician's special personal assistant. The body man might fetch coffee or make sure the politician's tie is on straight for a debate. President John F.…
Body Woman
A "body man" is a politician’s special personal assistant. A "body man" was always, historically, a man. New York (NY) Times op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd's June 29, 2008…
BOGO or BOGOF (Buy One, Get One Free)
"Buy one and get one free" is a familiar promotion by retailers to move product. "Buy One -- Get One Free" has been cited in print since at least 1908. "BOGOF" has…
BOGSAT or BOGSATT (Bunch of Guys Sitting Around The Table)
"BOGSAT" (also "bogsat") stands for "Bunch of Guys Sitting Around a Table." Waldemar A. Nielsen coined the term in September 1961, during the President Kennedy…
Bohemian Boulevard or Bohemian Broadway (East 72th Street in Yorkville)
"Little Bohemia" has been the name of a section of Yorkville (in Manhattan) since at least the 1890s. East 72nd Street or East 73rd Street has been called "Bohemian Boulevard"…
BoHo (Bowery below Houston Street)
"BoHo" is a neighborhood nickname that represents the Bowery below Houston Street in Manhattan. "BoHo" has been cited in print since at least 1998, but it has been rarely used.…
Boilermaker
Entry in progress -- B.P. Boilermaker (beer cocktail)A boilermaker is a beer cocktail consisting of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey, tequila, or vodka. The beer is served either as a chaser…
Boll Weevil Democrat
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Boll weevils (politics)Boll weevils was an American political term used in the mid- and late-20th century to describe conservative Southern Democrats. During…
Bollinger Bolshevik
The term "champagne socialist" is sometimes replaced with "Bollinger Bolshevik" or "Bolly Bolshevik." Wikipedia: Champagne socialist Champagne socialist is a political…
Bolts (Brooklyn FXFL football team)
The Brooklyn Bolts became one of four teams to open the Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL), a professional football minor league, in 2014. The team name of "Brooklyn Bolts" was…
Bomber Sandwich
A "bomber sandwich" is another name for an Italian sandwich, like a "sub" or "hero" or "hoagie" sandwich. The long list of the names of sandwiches served on…
Bomboloni (Italian doughnuts)
Bomboloni are Italian doughnuts, popular in Florence. These are more doughnut holes than doughnuts, filled with vanilla pastry cream, raspberry jam, or other fillings. The Italian…
BOMFOG (Brotherhood Of Man, Fatherhood Of God)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 3 July 1939, New York (NY) Times, "Bishop O'Hara Is Peaker on Eve of Opening of Institute of Public Affairs" by Winifred Mallon, pg. 7:CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.,…
Bond Vigilante
The term "bond vigilante " sounds like something out of a James Bond movie, but it simply describes players in the bond market. Ed Yardeni of Yardeni Research, coined the term when he was…
Bone Alley
"Bone Alley" used to be a densely populated and filthy area of Manhattan, at Pitt Street and Willett Street. The New-York (NY) Daily Tribune of May 12, 1875 probably explains the name:…
Bonehead Play or Boner (“Merkle’s Boner”)
"Merkle's boner" occurred on September 23, 1908, when New York Giants baseball player Fred Merkle -- running from first base in the ninth inning of a 1-1 game -- saw the winning run…
Bongo Boulevard (51st Street, between Seventh Avenue and Broadway)
Syndicated newspaper columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) wrote in a column in March 1949: "Sights You Never See on the New York Map: (...) 'Bongo Blvd.' (the short block on 51st…
Bonut (biscuit + doughnut)
The "bonut" (biscuit + doughnut) was trademarked by Biscuit Love (a Nashville, Tennessee food truck and later a restaurant) with a first use date of May 2012. The trademark status is…
Boob Tube (television)
The "boob tube" is a nickname for the television -- a tube (cathode-ray tube) for boobs (idiots). "As a chronicler of the boob-tube, I have received hundreds of letters, but the bulk…
Boobeoisie or Booboisie (boob + bourgeoisie)
The writer and critic H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) coined the term "booboisie" (boob + bourgeosie) in the Baltimore (MD) Evening Sun on February 15, 1922. Mencken meant to describe a middle…