Oklahoma: Diet Texas (nickname)
The state of Oklahoma has been infrequently dubbed "Diet Texas" (the state of Texas on a diet). McSweeney's published on July 27, 2006: "Oklahoma isn’t the Midwest. Oklahoma…
Origin of “Badger” (Wisconsin nickname)
People from Wisconsin are nicknamed "Badgers." The University of Wisconsin officially adopted the "Badgers" nickname in 1889. "A keen-eyed leather-belted "badger"…
Origin of “Buckeye” (Ohio nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Aesculus glabraThe tree species Aesculus glabra is commonly known as Ohio buckeye, American buckeye, or fetid buckeye. Glabra is one of 13–19 species of…
Origin of “Canuck” (“Johnny Canuck”) - summary
Entry in progress. More digitized Canadian material due in about a month. -- B.P. Wikipedia: Canuck"Canuck" is a slang term for Canadians. HistoryThe term was coined in the 19th century,…
Origin of “Gopher” (Minnesota nickname)
Minnesota officially became a state on May 11, 1858. Slightly before 1858, Minnesota had been called the "Gopher State" and its residents called "Gophers." A widely reprinted…
Origin of “Hawkeye” (Iowa nickname)
A person from Iowa is called a "Hawkeye" and Iowa is called the "Hawkeye State." The name "Hawkeye" was popularized by author James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851), who…
Origin of “Hoosier” (Indiana nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: HoosierHoosier (pronounced /ˈhuːʒər/) is the official demonym for a resident of the U.S. State of Indiana. Although residents of most U.S. states typically…
Origin of “Sucker” (Illinois nickname)
People from Illinois were called "Suckers" in the 1800s, and Illinois was called the "Sucker State." As explained in an 1845 issue of the Brooklyn (NY) Daily Eagle by someone…
Origin of “Wolverine” (Michigan nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Google Books22 February 1834, New-York (NY) American, "Review of the Week," pg. 2, col. 1:Prairie Ronde, (Kalamazoo co. M.T.) Dec. 26.(...)There was a…
Origin of “Boomer”/“Sooner” (Oklahoma nickname) - summary
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: SoonersSooners is the name given to settlers in the midwest of the United States who entered the Unassigned Lands in what is now the state of Oklahoma before…
Origin of “Jayhawk” (Kansas nickname) - summary
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: JayhawkerJayhawkers is a term that came to prominence just before the American Civil War in Bleeding Kansas, where it was adopted by militant bands affiliated…
Origin of “Tar Heel” (North Carolina nickname) - summary
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Tar HeelTar Heel (or Tarheel) is a nickname applied to the state and inhabitants of North Carolina as well as the nickname of the University of North Carolina…
Pennsylvania: “Pennsylvania is Philadelphia and Pittsburgh at the ends, Alabama in between”
American political strategist James Carville ran Democratic campaigns in Pennsylvania in the 1980s. He described the state as mostly rural -- with Philadelphia on one end and Pittsburgh on the…
Pennsylvania: “Where do pencils come from?”/“Pencil-vania.”
Do pencils come from Pennsylvania? "Most of the ordinary slate pencils come from Pencil-vania" was printed in the Pittsfield (MA) Sun on December 27, 1876. "Pencils come from…
Pennsylvania: “Where do pencils come from?”/“Pennsylvania.”
Do pencils come from Pennsylvania? "Most of the ordinary slate pencils come from Pencil-vania" was printed in the Pittsfield (MA) Sun on December 27, 1876. "Pencils come from…
Pennsylvania: Keystone State (nickname)
Pennsylvania has been called the "Keystone State" for several reasons. A keystone is a wedge-shaped stone that holds an arch in place. Pennsylvania was located in the center of the 13…
Rhode Island: Gun Flint (nickname)
A person from Rhode Island was nicknamed a "Gun Flint" in the 19th century. "Rhode Island, Gun Flints" was cited in a state nickname list in 1845, but the term was only…
Rhode Island: Little Rhody (nickname)
Rhode Island is the smallest state (in physical area) in the United States. The nickname "Little Rhody" (also ""Little Rhodie," "L'il Rhody" and "Little…
South Carolina: “South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum”
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: James L. PetigruJames Louis Petigru (May 10, 1789 – March 9, 1863) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist in South Carolina. He is best known for his…
South Carolina: Palmetto State (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P.Sabal palmetto Wikipedia: Seal of South CarolinaThe Great Seal of the State of South Carolina was adopted in 1776. The seal is made up of two elliptical areas, linked by…