Mafia Cop
New York City detectives Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito were accused in 2005 of also working for the Luchese crime family. They were quickly dubbed "Mafia cops" and were convicted…
Main Stem Femme (a Broadway girl)
Syndicated newspaper columnist Walter Winchell (1897-1972) introduced the term "main stem femme" in Life magazine on June 4, 1928, in an article titled "Along the Main Stem."…
Main Stemmer (Mainstemmer)
"Main stem" was a popular nickname for Broadway, especially in the 1920s. A person who worked on the Broadway or who enjoyed Broadway shows was a "Main Stemmer" (or…
Manhattanite (inhabitant of Manhattan)
A "Manhattanite" is an inhabitant of the borough of Manhattan. "Manhattanite" has been cited in print since at least 1807, well before Manhattan became a borough of New York…
Master of the Universe
Tom Wolfe's 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux) coined this term for Wall Street. It's not used much today. The true "Master of the…
Metrotard
"Metrotard" is a type of person whose name is derived from transit's "Metrocard." It's a combination of "metro" (from "metropolitan") and…
Milquetoast (after Caspar Milquetoast)
"Milk toast" has been cited in print since at least 1831. It is toasted bread in warm milk, often with butter and other ingredients added to the toast. "Caspar Milquetoast" is a…
Mink Brigade
The "mink brigade" is the name for the wealthy women (the type of women who could afford to wear minks) who supported the strikers at the New York shirtwaist strike of 1909. American…
Mr. and Mrs. America
"Mr. and Mrs. America" is another way of saying the average American (or the heads of the average American family). "Mr. and Mrs, America" has been cited in print since at least…
Mr. Big
"Mr. Big" is any important person. The nickname was popularized by the HBO show Sex and the City, but "Mr. Big" was used much earlier than that. (Oxford English Dictionary)Mr…
Mrs. Doubtpfizer (Mrs. Doubtfire + Pfizer)
"Mrs. Doubtpfizer" was posted on Twitter by Matt Sullivan on December 20, 2020. The name is a portmanteau of Mrs. Doubtfire (a 1993 American comedy-drama film) and Prfizer (an American…
Mugwump
"Mugwump" burst upon the political scene in the spring of 1884 after being used and explained in the New York Sun. A "mugwump" is a person from one party who supports a…
Murray Hiller (inhabitant of Murray Hill, Manhattan)
"Murray Hiller” is the name of an inhabitant of Murray Hill, in the borough of Manhattan. The name “Murray Hiller” has been cited in print since at least 1870. Wikipedia: Murray Hill,…
Negative Ned (Negative Nancy; Negative Nellie/Negative Nelly)
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Oxford English Dictionary)negative, adj., adv.2, and int.colloquial (originally U.S.). Preceding a forename beginning with N, forming a generic name for a person who is…
Nervous Nellie (Nervous Nelly)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wiktionary: nervous NellieNounnervous Nellie (plural nervous Nellies)1. (informal) A person whose personality and behavior are characterized by worry, insecurity, and…
New York’s Best (EMS paramedics and EMTs)
The departments of New York City have several famous superlative nicknames: FINEST—Police Department (NYPD)BRAVEST—Fire Department (FDNY)STRONGEST—Sanitation Department…
New York’s Boldest (corrections officers)
The departments of New York City have several famous superlative nicknames: FINEST—Police Department (NYPD)BRAVEST—Fire Department (FDNY)STRONGEST—Sanitation Department…
New York’s Bravest (firefighters)
The departments of New York City have several famous superlative nicknames: FINEST—Police Department (NYPD)BRAVEST—Fire Department (FDNY)STRONGEST—Sanitation Department…
New York’s Brightest (teachers)
New York has the Finest (police), Bravest (fire), Strongest (sanitation), and Boldest (corrections). Other, similar nicknames are less established. "Join New York's Brightest -- Teach…
New York’s Finest (police officers)
The departments of New York City have several famous superlative nicknames: FINEST—Police Department (NYPD)BRAVEST—Fire Department (FDNY)STRONGEST—Sanitation Department…