Mecca of Telephone Men
Around 1900, when the telephone was new, New York City was the "mecca of telephone men." The nickname was rarely used then and quickly died, but it's sometimes given in lists of New…
Mecca on the Hudson
The proposed "Ground Zero Mosque" in 2009-2010 caused some fears of the Islamization of New York City. The nickname "Manhattanistan" for "Manhattan" began to be used.…
Melting Pot; Mixing Bowl; Mosaic
"Melting Pot" and "Mixing Bowl" and "Mosaic" have all been used to describe New York City or America. "Melting Pot" conveys the image of many many different…
Metropolis (New Metropolis)
"Metropolis" (from the Greek word polis for "city") means "a large city" and is not a city nickname peculiar to New York City. Philadelphia was called the…
Metropolis of America
"Metropolis” (from the Greek word polis for “city") means “a large city” and is not a city nickname peculiar to New York City. In the 1700s, Philadelphia (and sometimes Boston)…
Modern Gomorrah
The Biblical city names of Sodom and Gomorrah have been used to describe any modern city that is sinful. New York City (nicknamed "Gotham") has infrequently been called a…
N.Y.C.
The Oxford English Dictionary's March 2004 revision contains my 1869 entry as the earliest for the initials "N.Y.C." representing New York City. "N.Y." is far more common.;…
Naked City
"There are eight million stories in the Naked City. This has been one of them." Does anyone remember that line? There was a tv show called Naked City and a movie called Naked City.…
Nazi York City (Nazi + New York City)
"Nazi York City" (Nazi + New York City) is a term used by those who feel that the city government and its bureaucracy is overly controlling, comparable to Nazi Germany. "Nazi York…
New Amsterdam
The Encyclopedia of New York City (1995) is terse on New Amsterdam. The following entry is credited to no one: "The former name of New York City, first used in the mid-1620s. On 1 February…
New Jack City
"New Jack City" is a hip-hop term for New York City. The 1991 film of this name popularized the term, but also limited its use. If you say "New Jack City," people think…
New Wild Boar Village
"York" has been translated as "place of yew trees" and as "wild boar town." In 2008, The Atlas of True Names suggested that the true name of New York City is "New…
New York Fucking City (New York Fuckin’ City)
"New York Fucking City" (or "New York Fuckin' City") has been printed on many gift items, such as T-shirts and hats. The saying can have various meanings -- that New York…
No Fun City (New York City; Vancouver)
New York City was called "Fun City" in 1966 by Mayor John Lindsay -- on one of his first days on the job. The nickname was used derisively and "the Big Apple" replaced "Fun…
Noisyville-on-the-Subway
American writer O. Henry (the pen name of William Sydney Porter, 1862-1910) wrote in the short story "The Duel: A Story of New York" (1906): "What's that? Oh, you've still…
Noo Yawk; New Yawk; Noo York
"New York" has been given the folksy spelling "Noo Yawk" or "New Yawk" or "Noo York." (New York Public Library "catnyp" record)Call # Pub. Cat.…
Port-au-Prince of America
On March 13, 2024, New York City Mayor Eric Adams posted on X/Twitter: "We call New York City the Port-Au-Prince of America. We feel the pain our Haitian neighbors feel as the situation grows…
Proud City
"Proud City" was a short-lived nickname coined by Mayor John Lindsay in 1966. "Fun City" was also Lindsay's. 1 January 1966, New York Herald Tribune, pg. 1:John V. Lindsay…
Public Health Capital of the World
Geneva, Switzerland (home of the World Health Organization and Atlanta, Georgia (home of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) have both been called the "Public Health Capital of the…
Red Apple (red/communist + Big Apple)
Zohran Mamdani, a sociliast candidate, successfully ran for New York City mayor in 2025. It was said that the "Big Apple" (New York City's nickname) would become the "Red…