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…
South Carolina: Weasel (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: List of mammals of SOuth CarolinaMustelidae . Least weasel (Mustela nivalis). Long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata). Mink (Mustela vison). North American river…
South Dakota: Blizzard State (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Google Books28 April 1888, The Railway News, pg. 693:This blizzard was supposed to come from what is called now the Blizzard State — Dakota. Google BooksOctober 1889,…
South Dakota: Coyote State (nickname)
Coyotes are so common in South Dakota that the University of South Dakota athletic teams are the "Coyotes." The coyote was made the official state animal in 1949. South Dakota became a…
Tennessee: Hog and Hominy State (nickname)
"Hog and hominy" s a classic combination of Southern foods. Several states that produced pigs and corn were "hog and hominy states," but the nickname was most frequently applied…
Tennessee: Lion’s Den State (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Daniel in the lions' denThe story of Daniel in the lions' den (chapter 6 in the Book of Daniel) tells how Daniel is raised to high office by his royal…
Tennessee: Mudhead (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Oxford English Dictionary)mudhead, n.U.S. colloq. (derogatory). A native of Tennessee. Now rare.1838 T. C. Haliburton Clockmaker 2nd Ser. xix. 289 There's the…
Tennessee: Whelp (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 22 March 1866, Louisville (KY) Daily Journal, "Nicknames," pg. 1, col. 4:The natives of these States are:... Tennessee, whelps; ... 7 April 1866, The Daily…
Uncle Sam (summary)
"Uncle Sam" is a personification of the United States, formed from the letters "U. S." The name became popular in the War of 1812; England was personified then as "John…
Uncle Sam Day
U.S. President George H. W. Bush declared "Uncle Sam Day" for September 13, 1989. The date September 13, 1766 was the birthday of Samuel Wilson, the Troy (NY) meat packer who some believe…
Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children (United States Marine Corps or USMC nickname)
The United States Marine Corps is part of the United States Armed Forces and was founded in 1775. The letters "USMC" have been nicknamed "Uncle Sam's Misguided Children"…
Uncle Sam’s Pocket Handkerchief (Delaware nickname)
Delaware was nicknamed "Uncle Sam's Pocket Handkerchief" in the 1800s because of the small size of the state. "Uncle Sam's pocket among the peaches (Delaware)" was…
Uncle Scam (Uncle Sam + scam)
"Uncle Scam" (Uncle Sam + scam) is an Uncle Sam nickname used by people who believe that the federal government is deceitful. Although the name "Uncle Sam" dates to 1812, the…
Uncle Sugar (Uncle Sam + sugar daddy)
"Uncle Sugar" means the "United States" (U.S.), taken from the slang names "Uncle Sam" and "sugar daddy." The slang "sugar" means…
Vermont: Green Mountain State (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Green MountainsThe Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately 250…
Virginia: Beadle (nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Google BooksU. S. An Index to the United States of AmericaCompiled by Malcolm TownsendBoston, MA: D. Lothrop Company1890Pg. 81:NICKNAMES APPLIED TO THE PEOPLE OF THE…
Washington, DC: “Democracy dies in darkness” (Washington Post slogan)
"Democracy dies in darkness" is a slogan of the Washington (DC) Post that first appeared in February 2017. Post investigative journalist Bob Woodward popularized the saying, but claimed…
Washington, DC: “Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm”
William Manchester's book, Portrait of a President: John F. Kennedy in profile (1962), includes a famous line: "'Washington,' John Kennedy once said lightly, 'is a city of…
Washington, DC: “Washington, DC is 12 square miles bordered by reality”
"Washington, DC is 12 square miles bordered by reality" is a statement about the United States capital city -- "Washington" is a metonym for the federal government -- that is…
Washington, DC: “What do the Metro system and the Little Mermaid have in common?” (joke)
The Washington (DC) Metro -- a transportation system comparable to New York City's subway -- runs "under D.C." In the popular Disney animated film The Little Mermaid (1989), the…