Solita (South of Little Italy)
"Solita" (or "SoLita") means "South of Little Italy." It's a spinoff from NoLita (North of little Italy). The name started with the "SoLita Building" at…
SoMa (South of Macy’s)
SoMa (South of Macy's) is a nickname for the area south of Herald Square in Manhattan. The "SoMa" nickname is taken from the well-established SoMa (South of Market) in San Francisco.…
Son Of a Bitch, Everything’s Real (“sober” backronym)
"S.O.B.E.R. = Son Of A Bitch, Everything's Real" was published in the book Stepping Stones to Recovery for Young People: Experience the Miracle of 12 Step Recovery (1991), edited by…
Sonny Mae or Sony Mae (State of New York Mortgage Agency or SONYMA)
The State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA) was created in 1970. The nickname "Sonny Mae" has been cited in print since at least August 1981 and "Sony Mae" since at least…
Sons of Anarchy (Jets defensive line nickname)
The New York Jets football team nicknamed their defensive line the New York Sack Exchange in 1981. The 2013 defensive line of Damon Harrison (nose tackle), Sheldon Richardson (defensive end) and…
Sons of the Wild Jackass
George Higgins Moses (1869-1944), a senator from New Hampshire, spoke at a Washington dinner of New England manufacturers in November 1929 and described some insurgent Republican senators as…
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 of the Night (soupe de la nuit; soupe du soir; soup du soir)
There is a "soup of the day" (soup du jour) served in many restaurants, but not "soup of the night" (soupe de la nuit; soupe du soir; soup du soir). "Soup of the…
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…
Soupervisor (soup + supervisor)
"Soupervisor" (soup + supervisor) is a portmanteau that has been used since at least the 1960s. The poem 'THE SOUPervisor" was printed in the Fort Lauderdale (FL) News on July…
South Brooklyn’s Secret Suburb (Ditmas Park, Brooklyn)
Ditmas Park, in Brooklyn, has a historic district and a suburban feel. Some have called it "Brooklyn's Secret Suburb" or "South Brooklyn's Secret Suburb." "South…
South Hudson Institute of Technology (West Point nickname)
The United States Military Academy at West Point (about fifty miles north of New York City on the Hudson River) is an elite educational institution that was founded in 1802. Students who…
Southwaste Airlines (Southwest Airlines nickname)
"Southworst" is a derogatory term for "southwest." Southwest Airlines (based in Dallas) was nicknamed "Southworst" by at least 1991. The former Southwest Conference…
Southworst Airlines (Southwest Airlines nickname)
"Southworst" is a derogatory term for "southwest." Southwest Airlines (based in Dallas) was nicknamed "Southworst" by at least 1991. The former Southwest Conference…