Fulton’s Folly (North River Steamboat)
American engineer and inventor Robert Fulton (1765-1815) operated the North River Steamboat in 1807 (the Hudson River was known as the North River at that time) from New York City to Albany. Many…
Fung Wah Bus of the Sky (Spirit Airlines nickname)
Spirit Airlines is an American ultra-low-cost carrier. Some Spirit critics have called it the "Fung Wah Bus of the Sky" or "Fung Wah Bus of the Skies." Fung Wah Bus…
Gasoline Machine (Phillips 66 refinery in New York harbor)
The Bayway Refinery on New York harbor in Bayway, New Jersey, was built by Standard Oil in 1907-08 and is currently owned by Phillips 66. The refinery processes 238,000 barrels of gas per day and…
Gate Rape
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began in 2001 under the U.S. Department of Transportation; in 2003, TSA was moved to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. New airport scanners…
Good Gosh (G or GG subway line)
New York City's "GG" train (now the "G" train) services Brooklyn and Queens. According to a post by Bill Newkirk on SubChat.com on May 18, 2007, the GG was nicknamed the…
Grand Central of Downtown (Chambers Street, Fulton Street)
Chambers Street (at City Hall) was once the heart of the New York City subway system in the early 1900s. It supposedly (according to articles in 2016 and 2018) was once called the "Grand…
Grand Central of the Jet Age (TWA Terminal/Hotel nickname)
The TWA Flight Center at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (opened as the "New York International Airport" and called "Idlewild Airport," but renamed…
Greyhound Bus of the Sky (Spirit Airlines nickname)
Spirit Airlines is an American ultra-low-cost carrier. Some people have called Spirit the "Greyhound Bus of the Sky" or "Greyhound Bus with Wings." "Note to self: Spirit…
Greyhound Bus with Wings (Spirit Airlines nickname)
Spirit Airlines is an American ultra-low-cost carrier. Some people have called Spirit the "Greyhound Bus of the Sky" or "Greyhound Bus with Wings." "Note to self: Spirit…
Guinea Gangplank or Guinea Gang Plank (Verrazano-Narrows Bridge)
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (usually called simply "the Verrazano") opened in 1964 and connects Staten Island with Brooklyn. The bridge has been called the "Guinea Gangplank"…
Gutter Bunny (bicycle commuter)
A bicycling commuter has been called a "gutter bunny" since at least 1995. The term is a jocularly derisive expression that was first popular with mountain bikers, but is now in common…
GWB (George Washington Bridge, not G. W. Bush)
"GWB" is the George Washington Bridge. George Washington was our first president. He meant a lot to this city and to this country. George W. Bush is the 43rd president of the United…
Gypsy Cab
The Historical Dictionary of American Slang, A-G has citations for "gypsy," meaning an independent migratory trucker, from 1953 and 1960. A "gypsy cab" is an unlicensed taxi.…
Had One Never Did Again (Honda backronymic nickname)
Entry in progress -- B.P.Honda Wikipedia: HondaHonda Motor Company, Limited (本田技研工業株式会社 Honda Giken Kōgyō KK?, IPA: [hoɴda]; /ˈhɒndə/) is a Japanese public multinational…
Heartbreak Hotel (Ramada Plaza JFK Hotel)
The Ramada Plaza JFK Hotel (at JFK Airport) was called "Heartbreak Hotel" (also the title of a 1956 Elvis Presley song) in July 1996, when it housed grieving family members of those who…
Highway of Light (1920s air route, New York to San Francisco)
Entry in progress -- B.P. PaleofutureThe "Highway of Light" That Guided Early Planes Across AmericaMatt Novak11/18/13 11:08am(...)Built by the U.S. government, the airmail beacons of the…
Hipster Express (Knowit Express buses from Brooklyn to Washington, DC nickname)
The Knowit Express announced bus service from Washington, DC (U Street Corridor) to Brooklyn (Park Slope), beginning October 22, 2010. It was dubbed the "Hipster Express" (cited in print…
Hipster Express (L train nickname)
The "L" train has been nicknamed the "hipster express" by some because the "L" goes between the newly gentrified Williamsburg to Manhattan's East Village. In…
Honku (honk + hailku)
A "honku" (honk + haiku) is a haiku of anti-honking verses. A haiku is a three-line poem of 17 syllables, in phrases of 5 syllables, then 7 syllables, and then 5 syllables. Aaron…
Human High Tide
"Human high tide" is another term for "rush hour." The difference is that the former term ("human high tide") concerns people and the latter term ("rush…