Bat Bridge (Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin)
"Bat Bridge" is an obvious nickname for the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin. That's the bridge where the bats hang out until they start to fly away at dusk.…
Bat City (Austin nickname)
Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge was rehabilitated in 1982. Hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats chose the under-side of the bridge to sleep during the daytime, and the city of…
Batini (official Austin cocktail)
The "Batini" (a blend of "bat" + "martini," although the drink contains no bats or gin or vermouth) is the official drink of Austin, Texas. In 2004, the Austin…
Battle for the Iron Skillet (SMU Mustangs vs. TCU Horned Frogs)
The Battle for the Iron Skillet is the football game between the Southern Methodist University Mustangs and the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs. The first game was played in 1915. A skillet…
Battle of the Brazos (Baylor Bears vs. Texas A&M Aggies)
Baylor University (in Waco) and Texas A&M University (in College Station) have played each other in football since 1899, but the game didn't always have a special name. The Brazos River…
Baylor Bubble
"Baylor Bubble" is a term used at Baylor University in Waco since at least 1980. The "Baylor bubble" refers to Baylor's beautiful campus and many undergraduates from…
Bayou City (Houston nickname)
The city of Houston was planned in 1836, named after war hero Sam Houston. The nickname "Bayou City" comes from Houston's location on the Buffalo Bayou, and is recorded in print from…
Baytowner (inhabitant of Baytown)
"Baytowner” is the name of an inhabitant of Baytown, Texas. The name “Baytowner” has been cited in print since at least 1928. An inhabitant of Baytown has also been called a…
Baytownian (inhabitant of Baytown)
"Baytownian” is the name of an inhabitant of Baytown, Texas. The name “Baytownian” has been cited in print since at least 1951. An inhabitant of Baytown has also been called a…
BBQ; Bar-B-Que; Q
Barbecue (barbeque) is popular in Texas and if often used by the initials BBQ, Bar-B-Que, Bar-B-Cue, or simply Q. "BBQ" was used in Los Angeles by at least 1938, but doesn't show up…
Bean Burger (Beanburger)
The San Antonio tradition of the "beanburger" (or "bean burger") supposedly began at Sill's Snack Shack ("Triple S") in 1953. The building (at the corner of…
Bear Sign (doughnuts)
"Bear sign" is a cowboy term for doughnuts. In the Pacific Northwest, "bear sign" means berry jam. "Bear sign" is first recorded from the 1830s to mean "bear…
Beaumonter (inhabitant of Beaumont)
"Beaumonter” is the name of an inhabitant of Beaumont, Texas. The name “Beaumonter” has been cited in print since at least 1895. Wikipedia: Beaumont, TexasBeaumont ( /ˈboʊmɒnt/) is a…
Bed and Breakfast Capital of Texas (Jefferson nickname)
The city of Jefferson in Marion County was designated by the Texas Legislature in 1997 as the "Bed and Breakfast Capital of (East) Texas." The small town of under 3,000 people has about…
Bee Caver (inhabitant of Bee Cave)
"Bee Caver” is the name of an inhabitant of Bee Cave, Texas. The name “Bee Caver” has been cited in print since at least 2009. "Bee Cavian" was used by one Internet poster in…
Beef-Head (a Texan)
A resident of Texas was called a "Beef-Head" by at least 1864. The name is related to Texas's famous cattle industry and was similar to "cowboy." "Beef-Heads"…
Beer Bread
Beer bread is a German tradition, usually made with rye bread. Texas has large German influences, so it's no surprise that beer bread has become a large part of Texas cuisine. Until the 1970s,…
Beer Can Chicken
Can Texas take credit for the invention of "Beer Can Chicken"? And, if Texas could take credit, why would it? Who could possibly think of cooking a chicken with a can of beer up its butt?…
Beltbuster (1/2 pound hamburger)
Texas Dairy Queens have offered a "beltbuster" sandwich since 1971. It appears that Chicago-area restaurants offered a "belt buster" sandwich from 1969. Bob's BBQ &…
Berkeley-on-the-Brazos (UT-Austin nickname)
The University of Texas at Austin is more liberal than the rest of the state of Texas, and some have compared UT-Austin to the liberal institution of the University of California at Berkeley.…