SoPo (south of power)

Hurricane Sandy hit New York City in the evening of October 29, 2012. The Con Ed power company experienced many problems and power went out over lower Manhattan for several days. Manhattan below…

Sorority

The word "sorority" (from the latin soror, or "sister") has had a long use meaning a sisterhood or a club of women. Sororities at American colleges began in 1851; several…

SOS (sauce on the side)

"SOS" is a famous distress signal. In restaurant lingo, "SOS" means "sauce on the side" -- that is, sauce on the side of the plate and not directly on top of the food.…

Soubrette Row (West 39th Street)

A "soubrette" is what a female stock character in opera and theatre was called in the late 1800s and early 1899s. New York City had a "Soubrette Row," where women employed in…

Soul Food

The term "soul food" is used in Harlem, but it is not clear where the term originated. "Soul food" is cited in print from at least 1960. Wikipedia: Soul foodSoul food is an…

Soup Jockey (waiter or waitress)

A "soup jockey" is restaurant slang for a waiter or waitress. "Soup jockey" appears to have first been used in railroad dining cars to refer to a cook -- not a waiter or…

Soup Sandwich

The term "as sloppy as a soup sandwich" was printed in the Daily News (New York, NY) on January 28, 1977. "Sloppy as a soup sandwich" was entered in the "Canonical List of…

Soup-and-Fish (a dinner suit)

"Soup and fish" was a traditional first course in the formal dinners of the 19th century. "Soup and fish" (also "soup-and-fish") also became a nickname for a…

Space Cake (containing cannabis)

A "space cake" contains cannabis as an ingredient. The name "space" is from the term "spaced-out." Space cakes have been popular in the Netherlands, where these cakes…