The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) remains little-known, even though it claims an origin back to 1772 and colonial Postmaster General Benjamin Franklin. The USPIS investigates all…
"Silver, Wine, Art and Gold" form the backronym (back-acronym) for the word "swag." SWAG (2011), a book by Joe Roseman, both coined and popularized the term. Roseman argues that…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Google BooksA Breed of Barren Metal; or, Currency and interest, a study of social and industrial problems,By J. W. Bennett Chicago, IL: C.H. Kerr & Co.1895Pg. 226:The…
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Oxford English Dictionary)ˈsilverite, n.Etymology: < silver n. and adj. + -ite suffix1.Chiefly U.S.An advocate of a silver monetary standard.1886 Science 7 267 The…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Simon SaysSimon Says (or Simple Simon Says) is a children's game for three or more players. One player takes the role of "Simon" and issues…
The Singapore Chili Crab Festival began in 2004. http://www.tigerbeer.us/newyork/history.php#Sunday,August 6th, Tiger Beer is proud to present the 3rd Annual Tiger Beer Singapore Chili Crab…
The Singer Building (at Liberty Street and Broadway in Manhattan) was the tallest building in the world when the 45-story structure opened in 1909. The building was named after the Singer…
New York City can probably take credit for the first "singles bars." in the mid-late 1960s, Friday's and Maxwell's Plum opened on the Upper East Side and were termed…
"Sinistrosphere" (often misspelled "sinestrosphere") is the politically "left blogosphere." ("Sinistro-" is Latin for "left.") The term…
"RINO" (Republican In Name Only) spawned many similar political acronyms. When John Boehner became Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2011, some said that he was 'Speaker In…
A "sipster" (sip + -ster, hipster) is someone who sips. An 1896 dictionary of slang included "sipster" with other term describing someone who is drunk; a 1995 slang dictionary…
"Sis-boom-bah" is the sound of a skyrocket and quickly became a football cheer at Princeton University. Did it begin with New York's Seventh Regiment? The following is a post by Ben…
Costello's bar opened in 1974 at 225 East 44th Street (near Third Avenue) in Manhattan. It had murals by
Entry in progress -- BP Wikipedia: SitzprobeIn opera and musical theatre, a sitzprobe (from the German for seated rehearsal) is a rehearsal where the singers sing with the orchestra, focusing…
S.C.H.O.O.L = Six Crazy Hours Of Our Lives and S.C.H.O.O.L.E.D = Six Crazy Hours OF Our Lives Each Day and S.C.H.O.O.L - Six.Crap.Hours.Of.Our.Lives and S.C.H.O.O.L = Six Crappy Hours Of Our Lives…
"Six million Jews" is the frequent number that is given for number of Jews who died in World War II (The Holocaust). Some people have disputed that number, while others -- such as this…
The "six phases of a project" have been jocularly described as: 1. Enthusiasm,2. Disillusionment,3. Panic,4. Search for the guilty,5. Punishment of the innocent, and6. Praise and honor…
The "seven-year itch" is when a spouse loses interest with a marriage partner; The Seven Year Itch was a 1952 play by George Axelrod and a 1955 movie starring Marilyn Monroe. The…
New York City has five boroughs. The consolidation into the borough system took effect on January 1, 1898. Yonkers (in Westchester County) was soon proposed to be New York's sixth borough.…
Bank of America is one of the Big Four of America's banks (along with Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo). Critics of Bank of America have given it the unflattering nickname of…