Boobus Americanus
The newspaper columnist and American language scholar H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) wrote in 1927 about the words he created: "Of my inventions I am vainest of Bible Belt, booboisie, smut hound…
Boodle Board (Board of Aldermen)
The Board of Aldermen was notoriously corrupt in the 19th century, sometimes earning itself the nickname "Forty Thieves." The 1884 Board of Aldermen became nicknamed the "boodle…
Booger King (Burger King nickname)
Burger King is a fast food restaurant chain that began in 1953. The Burger King nickname of "Booger King" has been cited in print since at least 1990. The name "booger" is often…
Boogie Down Bronx
The New York City borough of the Bronx is sometimes called the 'Boogie Down Bronx" or simply the "Boogie Down." The term reflects the role that the Bronx played in the birth of…
Book Row (or, Booksellers’ Row)
"Book Row" (or "Booksellers' Row") was lower Fourth Avenue, between 9th and 14th Streets. Another "Booksellers Row" opened on Fifth Avenue, near the Barnes and…
Boomer Doomer or Boomer Remover (COVID-19 nickname)
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic affected mostly older people, such as baby boomers (people born from 1946 to 1964). COVID-19 was nicknamed the "Boomer Remover" and "Boomer…
Boomer Remover or Boomer Doomer (COVID-19 nickname)
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic affected mostly older people, such as baby boomers (people born from 1946 to 1964). COVID-19 was nicknamed the "Boomer Remover" and "Boomer…
Boomerang Buyer
The Wall Street Journal's October 15, 2012 article, "'Boomerang' Home Seekers Become Eligible for Mortgages and Hit Market Again" by Conor Dougherty and Dawn Wotapka,…
Booporium (boo + emporium)
Target stores, beginning September 2017, called its Halloween display a "booporium" (boo + emporium), similar to "bootique" (boo + boutique). Many people, however, pronounced…
Bootlegger
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Oxford English Dictionary)boot-legger, n.Etymology: -- boot-leg n. + -er suffix1. Compare boot-leg n. 2.One who carries liquor in his boot-legs; (hence) an illicit trader…
Boots on the Ground
"Boots on the ground" means "ground troops." Modern warfare often involves missiles and air support first, followed by "boots on the ground." "Boots on the…
Booyah (stew)
A "booyah" is a thick soup or stew and is probably derived from the French word "bouillon" (broth). "'Boo-Yah' is a very popular soup among the boys on Humboldt…
Boozeday Tuesday
"Boozeday Tuesday" is a drinking slang name for a day of the week. The term is usually simply "Boozeday" and it could occur on any day of the week, but it's usually held on…
Borough Hall (side-arm pitch in Brooklyn)
A baseball definition was published in the 1943 Baseball Guide and Record Book: "Borough Hall -- Side-arm pitch in Brooklyn." The term refers to Brooklyn Borough Hall and was used by the…
Borough of Cemeteries (Borough of the Dead)
The boroughs of both Brooklyn and Queens are known for their cemeteries. The writer Irwin Shaw (1913-1984) wrote in the short story, "Borough of Cemeteries," in The New Yorker, August 13,…
Borough That’s Thorough (Brooklyn)
Brooklyn has been called the "borough that's thorough" in hip hop. The nickname is seldom used. About MBHailing from the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, MBF hopes to…
Boroughite (inhabitant of a borough)
New York City was consolidated into five boroughs (Bronx. Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island) in 1898. A "boroughite" is, theoretically, an inhabitant of any borough, but the term…
Boss Indians Around (Bureau of Indian Affairs or BIA nickname)
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior responsible for the administation and management of Native American land in the United States. Critics of the…
Boston Cooler
A "Boston cooler" means several things: . Vanilla ice cream in a cantaloupe. In the Boston (MA) Journal of 1901, this Boston cooler of vanilla ice cream inside a cantaloupe was described…
Boston Iced Tea (iced tea with cranberry juice)
"Cranberry iced tea" is cited in print since 1959, but the drink became popular in the early 1990s. By at least 1999, the Red Lobster restaurant chain offered its own cranberry iced tea,…