Otto (football linebacker position)
"Sam, Mike and Will" (strongside, middle and weakside) are popular linebacker names, but there is also "Otto." The name "Otto" was coined by Jacksonville Jaguars head…
PAL (Police Athletic League)
"PAL" (the Police Athletic League) started in the Depression and is still going. Supposedly, it all began in Tuckahoe, New York?…
Panic City
The term "panic city" refers to the demand for some immediate action to end a bad situation. "Panic city" has been cited in print since the 1970s. New York Mets general manager…
Pawnography (chess pawn + pornography)
"Pawnography" (chess pawn + pornography) is a jocular portmanteau word that some chess players have used. Pawnography!! (1973) was the title of a book by Douglas R Long and Bryan M…
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.…
Petco Park East or Petco East (Citi Field nickname)
Citi Field is the ballpark for the New York Mets that opened in 2009. Even before it opened, fans noted Citi Field's cavernous dimensions and speculated that it might be a difficult park to…
Pigeon Chess (“like playing chess with a pigeon”)
Entry in progress -- B.P. RationalWiki: Pigeon chess"Pigeon chess" or "like playing chess with a pigeon" is a figure of speech originating from a comment made in March 2005 on…
Pigeons (New York City Football Club or NYCFC nickname)
The New York City Football Club (NYFC) is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that plays in Major League Soccer (MLS). "Pigeons" is a popular nickname of the club…
Pinstripe Bowl
College football's first 'Pinstripe Bowl" was held at the new Yankee Stadium on December 20, 2010, between Syracuse (from the Big East Conference) and Kansas State (from the Big 12…
Pinstripers (Yankees, from their pinstripe uniforms)
The New York Yankees are sometimes called the "Pinstripers," from their pinstriped uniforms. The Yankees had pinstripes before they had Babe Ruth. It's an urban myth that they…
Playcation (play + vacatinn)
"Playcation" (play + vacation) became a popular term -- following "staycation" -- the financial crisis of 2008. Maxine Maesinger (1925-2001), the "Big City Beat"…
Poker (card game)
Entry in progress -- B.P. [This entry was assisted by research from Fred Shapiro of the American Dialect Society.] Wikipedia: PokerPoker is a family of gambling card games involving betting and…
Poker (card game)
Entry in progresss -- BP Wikipedia: Poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played…
Poop (three-point shot in basketball)
New York Knicks basketball player Shawne Williams was known for his three-point accuracy during the 2010-11 NBA season. On the Knicks blog Posting and Toasting on December 5, 2010, Thelonious Dunk…
Porchclimbers (American League baseball team, later called Yankees)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Other early nicknames of the New York Yankees include "Highlanders," "Hilltoppers" and "Invaders." Wikipedia: New York YankeesThe New York…
Potsy
"Potsy" is the New York City term for the game of "hopscotch" (or a variant of this game). "Pot" has been cited since at least 1884 and "potsie" since at…
Profishional (professional + fish/fishing)
"Profishional" (professional + fish/fishing) is a term that is sometimes used. "Dozens of booths will be devoted to the latest fishing tackle. Manufacturers displayed include Blue…
PSAL (Public Schools Athletic League)
The Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL, at www.psal.org) was formed over 100 years ago. It still holds school athletic competitions, but it now also includes girls. 25 November 1903, New York…
Puck (flat disk used in hockey)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Hockey puckA puck is a disk used in various games serving the same functions as a ball does in ball games. The best-known use of pucks is in ice hockey, a major…
Punchball (Punch Ball)
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Dictionary of American Regional English)punchball n esp NYCA game similar to baseball played with a rubber ball that is hit with the fist.1935 Ware Greenwich Village 144…