Peanut Sticks (Peanut Stix)
Peanut sticks are sticks of glazed donuts, coated in crushed peanuts. The food is a specialty of Buffalo, New York, where it was made at Freddies Doughnuts (1935-1989). They are a popular item at…
Peanutzi or Peanazi (peanut + Nazi)
"Peanutzi" or "peanazi" (peanut + Nazi) is a term-- similar to "feminazi" (feminist + Nazi) -- that describes a militant anti-peanut activist. Some people suffer from…
Pearl (Parks Department squirrel mascot)
The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation introduced "Pearl" (a cartoon squirrel) as its mascot in an April 2010 event. There was a contest, but the Parks Department went…
Pearl Diver (a person who washes dishes)
"Pearl diver" is a nickname for a person who washes dishes -- someone who "dives" for dishes in hot, greasy water. 'Pearl diver" has been cited in print since at least…
Pedestal Complex (Hall of Fame obsession)
Charles W. Colson (1931-2012) wrote in The Body: Being Light in Darkness (1992): "Today this mentality translates into what we call the pedestal complex; it is rampant throughout the church.…
Pedestrian Manager
A "pedestrian manager" might also be called a "crossing guard." Sam Schwartz Engineering (Sam Schwartz was an assistant commissioner of transportation who helped popularize the…
Pedlock (pedestrian + gridlock)
Pedlock = pedestrian + gridlock. The term "pedlock" followed "gridlock" in the 1980s, but really didn't catch on until the 2000s. 19 May 1986, Newsday (Long Island, NY),…
Peel Noodles or Knife-Cut Noodles or Knife-Sliced Noodles (Dao-xaio-mian)
"Peel noodles" were introduced by the Sheng Wang restaurant on Eldridge Street, and New York's food reviewers in 2006 and 2007 had nothing to compare it to. Also called…
Peking Ravioli (Chinese dumplings)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: JiaoziGuotie (Chinese: 鍋貼; pinyin: guōtiē; literally: "pot stick") is pan-fried jiaozi, also known as potstickers (a direct character…
Penguine or Penguini (penguin pasta)
"Linguine" is a pasta. The continent of Antarctica doesn't have a "penguine" or "penguini" pasta made for (or of) penguins -- and there is no such named pasta…
Penguini or Penguine (penguin pasta)
"Linguine" is a pasta. The continent of Antarctica doesn't have a "penguine" or "penguini" pasta made for (or of) penguins -- and there is no such named pasta…
Penny-Pinching (Penny-Pincher)
A "penny-pincher" is someone who is extremely frugal and who counts every penny. The English dramatist Thomas Dekker (1572-1632) wrote "Hang these penny-pinching fathers" in his…
Pentagram (Pentagon nickname)
The Pentagon is the five-sided building in Arlington, Virginia, that is the headquarters for the United States Department of Defense; the term "Pentagon" is often used metonymically for…
People Eating Tasty Animals (PETA parody/nickname)
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an animal rights organization, founded in 1980. In 1996, meat eaters did a PETA parody and registered a web address for "People Eating…
People’s Beach (Jacob Riis Park)
Jacob Riis (1849-1914) was a journalist/photographer famous for his book, How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York (1890). Riis attempted to expose the plight of the poor…
People’s House (Gracie Mansion)
Manhattan's Gracie Mansion, built in 1799, has been the mayor's official residence since Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia moved there in 1942. Mayor Michael Bloomberg declined to live there,…
People’s Microphone or People’s Mic/Mike (using voices for amplified sound)
The September 2011 "Occupy Wall Street" protests didn't have a permit to have amplified sound (such as a bullhorn). Instead, a speaker would speak a few words and the crowd would act…
People’s News Network (Twitter nickname)
Twitter is an online networking serivce for short messages. "Twitter = The People's News Network" was posted on Twitter on May 1, 2011, after it first made news on Twitter that Osama…
People’s Opera (New York City Opera)
The New York City Opera (NYCO) was founded in 1943 and was called the "people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia (1882-1946). NYCO's purpose was to reach a wide…
People’s Palace (NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building)
The Main Branch of the New York Public Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan (Stephen A. Schwarzman Building), opened in 1911 and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011. The…