The Big Apple
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December 16, 2013
The Big Apple1970s-present: False Etymologies

Five Apple Seeds, Five Boroughs (1990s?)

Cut an apple horizontally, and one often sees a five-seed star pattern. The five seeds are said to represent the five boroughs of New York City. This was posted on Twitter on December 16, 2013:…

April 23, 2006
The Big Apple1970s-present: False Etymologies

Fletcher Henderson popularization of “the Big Apple” in the 1930s

In 1990, Harlem Assemblywoman Geraldine Daniels published a letter in the New York Times that stated that musician Fletcher Henderson (1879-1952) popularized "the Big Apple" in the 1930s.…

July 21, 2024
The Big Apple1980s-present: Big Apple work by Gerald Cohen, Barry Popik

Gala “Big Apple” mascot (Metro Ink, 2023)

Metro Ink describes itself on X/Twitter: "Hosting Splatoon LAN Events in New York City! Stay tuned for the next event! | Contact metroinkprod@gmail.com for Inquiries." Metro Ink is based…

April 25, 2021
The Big Apple1980s-present: Big Apple work by Gerald Cohen, Barry Popik

Google censorship of BarryPopik.com, “The Big Apple”

[ORIGINAL ENTRY ON MAY 17, 2020. UPDATES FOLLOW.] Google is the most popular search engine in the United States. This website (BarryPopik.com, "The Big Apple") has been censored for over…

March 18, 2025
The Big Apple1970s: Big Apple Revival

Gwen Barrett and 1970s “Big Apple” campaign (1971)

New York City was officially branded the "Big Apple" in the 1970s, with a campaign by the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau (NYCVB), late banded as NYC & Company and now called…

November 10, 2006
The Big Apple1980s-present: Big Apple work by Gerald Cohen, Barry Popik

Harlem Big Apple Club Plaque Removed (2006)

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food…

July 12, 2004
The Big Apple1970s-present: False Etymologies

Harlem’s jazz musicians (1930s)

Harlem's jazz musicans did undeniably help spread the "Big Apple" phrase in the 1930s, but did not originate it. The Big Apple night club, at Seventh Avenue and West 135th Street,…

April 25, 2021
The Big Apple1980s-present: Big Apple work by Gerald Cohen, Barry Popik

Home Run Apple (Shea Stadium & Citi Field, 1980-present)

When a New York Mets baseball player hit a home run at Shea Stadium, a large "apple" located just beyond center field rose from inside a black hat. It was a gimmick that was started in…

September 14, 2022
The Big Apple“Little Apple” and other nicknames

Indianappleis & “Move over New York. Apple is our middle name” (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Indianapolis, Indiana, is sometimes spelled with an "apple" in the middle. "Indianappleis" was printed in the Indianapolis (IN) News on June 18, 1912. "And there's…

April 4, 2008
The Big Apple1980s-present: Big Apple work by Gerald Cohen, Barry Popik

Infinity Apple (GreeNYC symbol, 2007)

In 2007, NYC & Co. (New York City's tourism bureau, formerly the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau that re-popularized "the Big Apple" in the 1970s) promoted…

August 6, 2021
The Big Apple1980s-present: Big Apple work by Gerald Cohen, Barry Popik

Iso Omena (Finland’s “Big Apple” shopping center, 2001-present)

Iso Omena (Finnish for "Big Apple") is a shopping center in Matinkylä, Espoo, Finland, that opened on September 24, 2001. There are 200 businesses in an area of about 1,179,000 square…

November 22, 2022
The Big Apple1980s-present: Big Apple work by Gerald Cohen, Barry Popik

La Gran Manzana (merengue band, 1982)

Henry Hierro and Victor Roque formed the merengue band "La Gran Manzana" ("The Big Apple") in 1982. The band members all lived in the New York City area. The band celebrated a…

May 14, 2023
The Big Apple1980s-present: Big Apple work by Gerald Cohen, Barry Popik

La Gran Manzana (sculpture opposite Radio City Music Hall, 2022)

The sculpture "La Gran Manzana" (Spanish for "The Big Apple"), by Mexican artist Enrique Cabrera, was unveiled on December 7, 2022 at 1251 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan,…

December 28, 2017
The Big Apple1970s-present: False Etymologies

La Grosse Pomme (Paris nightclub, 1937-1938)

American-born UK-based jazz singer and entertainer Adelaide Hall (1901-1993) and her husband, Bertram Hicks, opened a nightclub called La Grosse Pomme (French for "The Big Apple") in…

April 20, 2021
The Big Apple1930s: Jazzing the Big Apple

La Grosse Pomme (Paris nightclub, 1937-1938)

American-born UK-based jazz singer and entertainer Adelaide Hall (1901-1993) and her husband, Bertram Hicks, opened a nightclub called La Grosse Pomme (French for "The Big Apple") in…

August 12, 2021
The Big Apple1980s-present: Big Apple work by Gerald Cohen, Barry Popik

La Mela Reintegrata or The Apple Made Whole Again (Milan, Italy, 2015-present)

The "Big Apple" of Milan, Italy, is a sculpture called “La Mela Rintergrata” (“The Apple Made Whole Again”) by Michelangelo Pistoletto that is outside of Central Station (Milano…

July 12, 2004
The Big ApplePre-1920s

Lands of the Big Red Apples

Several places in the United States and Canada, pre-1920, were known as the "Home/Land of the Big (Red) Apples." Oregon was one of the first; others include Missouri, Colorado,…

May 12, 2026
The Big Apple1980s-present: Big Apple work by Gerald Cohen, Barry Popik

LEGO’S New York City—The Big Apple (2026)

LEGO announced the product "New York City -- The Big Apple" in 2026. New York City’s iconic skyline is shown, silhouetted against a dark sky in the shape of an apple. The set was priced…

June 22, 2021
The Big Apple1970s: Big Apple Revival

Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps (marching band, 1979-present)

The Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps was founded in 1979 as the New York Gay Community Marching Band by Nancy Corporon (music director) and Bob Wolff (general manager). The name change to…

March 12, 2022
The Big Apple“Little Apple” and other nicknames

Little Apple (Ithaca, New York)

Ithaca, New York, has called itself the "Little Apple," in contrast to New York City, the "Big Apple." The "Little Apple" nickname was coined and promoted in 1981 by…

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About the Website and Editor

BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

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