“Chicken in the car and the car won’t go” (Chicago spelling rhyme)
"A chicken in the car and the car won't go, that's the way to spell Chicago" is a popular Chicago rhyme that has been cited in print since at least 1926. The children's…
“I Will” (Chicago motto)
Entry in progress -- B.P. 22 March 1892, The Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago, IL), pg. 7:"I WILL." This Chicago Expression is Disturbing the Brethren of the Hub and New York.Boston
“The Hawk” or “Hawkins” (strong cold winter wind)
Chicago's wind is called "Hawkins," or "The Hawk." The origin of the name is a mystery, but one thing is certain: it didn't originate in Chicago. Random House…
“What is three-sevenths of a chicken, two-thirds of a cat and one-half of a goat?”/“Chicago.”
An animal riddle is: Q: What is 3/7 chicken, 2/3 cat and 2/4 goat?A: Chicago. The listener probably expects some sort of animal (or a culinary dish like "turducken"). The city name of…
“Y” (Chicago Municipal Device)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Wolf Point, ChicagoWolf Point is the location at the confluence of the North, South and Main Branches of the Chicago River in the present day Near North Side,…
Chi-raq (Chicago nickname)
"Chi-raq" or "Chiraq" (Chicago + Iraq) is a Chicago nickname that compares the violence of Chicago in the 2000s to the war-town country of Iraq. It's not known who first…
Chi-Town (Chicago nickname)
Chicago is sometimes called "Chi-town." "Chi" (for Chicago) is pronounced "shy." "The 'Chi' town men who were going down to St. Louis" was printed…
Chiberia (Chicago nickname)
"Chiberia (Chicago + Siberia) is a nickname that has been used during Chicago's winter storms. Siberia is a cold place and is often used as a weather metonym. "Chi-beria. Yeah, you…
City of Big Shoulders or City of Broad Shoulders (Chicago nickname)
American poet Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) called Chicago, Illinois, the "City of the Big Shoulders" in his poem "Chicago" that was published in Poetry magazine in March 1914. The…
City on the Make (Chicago nickname)
American author Lucius Beebe (1902-1966) called New York City "Babylon on the Make" in 1937 and several times in the 1940s. Atlanta was called a "city on the make" in…
City That Works (Chicago nickname)
Several cities have been called a "city that works." The expression can mean that the city has a strong manufacturing base, or that the city efficiently delivers municipal services.…
Gapers’ Block
Patrolman Irving Francis ("Irv") Hayden provided rush hour traffic reports on Chicago's WGN radio in the 1960s. He coined the term "gapers' block" (cited in print…
Garden City (Chicago nickname)
Chicago, Illinois has used the Latin motto "Urbs in Horto" (city in a garden) since 1837. There weren't many gardens and there wasn't much city, but Chicago had aspirations.…
Great State of Chicago (Chicago nickname)
Chicago is the most populous city in the state of Illinois. "The great State of 'Chicago'" was cited in 1877, "the great State of Chicago" was cited in 1884 and…
Paris on the Prairie (Chicago nickname)
St. Louis, Missouri was called "Paris on the Prairie" in 1867. Denver, Colorado was called "Paris on the prairie" in 1894. Daniel Burnham (1846-1912) co-authored a 1909 Plan of…
Porkopolis (Cincinnati and Chicago nickname)
Both Cincinnati and Chicago excelled in the slaughterhouse business, and both would be called "Porkopolis." Cincinnati has the nickname "Porkopolis" as early as 1843, and…
Second City (Chicago nickname)
THe term "second city" usually refers to a nation's second most populous city. New York City has always been the first city after every United States census. From 1890 until 1990,…
Windy City (Chicago nickname)
Buffalo, New York, was called a "windy city" in the late 1840s because of the winds off of Lake Erie. Chicago, Illinois, was called a "windy city" later in the 1850s and in the…
Windy City (Port Elizabeth, South Africa nickname)
Port Elizabeth, South Africa, has been called the "Windy City." It is a major seaport city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. "PORT ELIZABETH, Sunday. -- The most…
Windy City (Wellington, New Zealand nickname)
Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, has been called "Windy Wellington" and the "Windy City." "Notwithstanding so much is said about windy Wellington, yet the…