Prickly Pear Cactus (official state plant)
The Texas prickly pear cactus was declared the official plant of Texas in 1995. The plant can be seen throughout southern Texas. State Symbols - Texas State Libraryplant PRICKLY PEAR CACTUSHouse…
Prisonville (Raymondville nickname)
The city of Raymondville is a small city in Willacy County in South Texas. Since at least 2006 (popularized by an October 2006 Texas Observer article), an unofficial nickname for Raymondville has…
Puffer or Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes)
Potato pancakes have been served in Germany and other European countries since at least the 19th century, called "kartoffelpuffer" or "puffers" or "latkes." German…
Puffy Tacos
Puffy tacos are a San Antonio specialty, tacos that fluff up. A puffy taco is even the mascot of a San Antonio minor league baseball team. It's said that the "puffy taco" was…
Pully Bone or Pullybone (Pulley Bone or Pulleybone; Pulling Bone; Pull Bone)
The "pully bone" or "pullybone" (also "pulley bone" or "pullybone," "pulling bone" and "pull bone") is a forked bone, named using the…
Pump Jack Capital of Texas (Electra nickname)
Electra in north Texas has about 5,000 oil pumps within a ten-mile radius. In 2001, the Texas lesiglature declared Electra to be the "Pump Jack Capital of Texas." Electra has more pump…
Pumpkin Capital USA (Floydada nickname)
Floydada (the county seat of Floyd County) calls itself "Pumpkin Capital USA." About one million pumpkins come from Floydada's 1,500 acres. In 1987, Floydada began its "Punkin…
Purple Drank
"Purple drank" (also called "drank" and many other names) is a potentially dangerous drink that mixes cough syrup (containing codeine) with another drink, such as Sprite or rum…
Q-Head (barbecue enthusiast)
A "Q-head" is a barbecue (or "bbq" or simply "q") enthusiast. The term "Q-head" has been cited in print since at least 1998. Google Groups: alt.food.barbecue…
Q: What does Dallas have that Fort Worth doesn’t? A: A nice city 30 miles away.
Dallas and Fort Worth are cities thirty miles apart. There is a rivalry and, of course, some jokes: Q: What does Dallas have that Fort Worth doesn't have?A: A nice city 30 miles away. This…
Q: Why doesn’t Texas fall into the Gulf of Mexico? A: Because Oklahoma sucks!
Inter-state humor involving "sucks" and "blows" is not unique to Texas and Oklahoma and New Mexico. A popular joke is: "Q" Why doesn't Texas fall into the Gulf of…
Queen City of the Rio Grande (Del Rio nickname)
"Queen City of the Rio Grande" was the nickname of Brownsville in the 1890s and 1900s. Del Rio has called itself the "Queen City of the Rio Grande" since the 1920s and this…
Queen of the Missions (Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo)
San Antonio's Missions National Historical Park includes five historic Spanish missions. The Alamo (1718) was the first mission to be built. Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo (1720) --…
Quesadilla
Quesadillas are an important part of Tex-Mex cuisine. A quesadilla is a turnover with filling, such as beans, cheese, rice, and beef or chicken. The Gebhardt Chili Powder Company of San Antonio has…
Quesadilla on Steroids (mulita)
LA Weekly (CA) food critic Janathan Gold described (in a 1999 column) a mulita at La Taquiza as being "a sort of quesadilla on steroids." A mulita consists of two corn tortillas…
Quesapita or Quesa-Pita (quesadilla + pita)
A "quesapita" (or "quesa-pita") is a quesadilla served using pita bread instead of a tortilla. The restaurant chains The Pita Pit and Mr. Pita both offer quesapitas.…
Queso Fries
"Queso Fries" are a specialty of the Texicalli Grille in Austin, Texas. Several other restaurants throughout the country offer "queso fries," and it's not known if the…
Quinceañera (Quince Años)
Many Spanish-speaking people mark a girl's fifteenth birthday with a celebration. The name "Quince Años" (fifteen years) was applied to this celebration in the 1950s and 1960s; by…
Raider Rash
"Raider Rash" is a nickname for an allegedly large number of sexually transmitted diseases at Texas Tech University in Lubbock (called the "Red Raiders"). Articles about STDs…
Ranahan (or Ranny)
"Ranahan" (or "ranny") is another name for a cowboy or top ranch hand. The origin of the name is uncertain. Google BooksCowboy Lingoby Ramon F. AdamsNew York: Houghton…