Rise In Power (RIP)
“Rise in power” is sometimes used instead of “rest in peace” (from Latin Requiescat in pace) to respect someone who has died. “Rest in power” has been used by the African American…
Riverdalian (inhabitant of Riverdale, Bronx)
"Riverdalian” is the name of an inhabitant of Riverdale, in the borough of the Bronx. The name “Riverdalian” has been cited in print since at least 1871. . Wikipedia: Riverdale,…
Rocketeer (postal worker with pneumatic tube)
Mail was delivered throughout New York City by a series of pneumatic tubes, from the years 1897 until 1953. The postal workers sending and receiving such mail were dubbed "rocketeers,"…
Rockettes
The Rockettes are New York City's high-kicking dance company. The "Missouri Rockets" began in St, Louis in 1925, and were created by Russell Markert (1899-1990). In 1928, the company…
Rubbermen or Red Menace
"Rubbermen" or "Red Menace" are cop terms (especially television's NYPD Blue) for members of the fire department. http://www.faqs.org/faqs/tv/nypd-blue/Red Menace…
Sally Soccer-mom
A "soccer mom" is a mother of a child who plays soccer; the term has been cited in print since at least 1973. Soccer moms became a much-talked-about demographic in the 1996 U.S.…
Sam Hill
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Sam Hill (euphemism)Sam Hill is an American English slang phrase, a euphemism for "the devil" or "hell" personified (as in, "What in…
San Man
The 1954 hit song "Mr. Sandman" was performed by The Chordettes, with words and music by Pat Ballard. There's no exact date to pinpoint, but some time after that, a man who worked…
Sand Hog (Sandhog)
It's either "sand hog" or "sandhog." The men who built our bridges and tunnels have a name. Surpisingly, this doesn't appear in Irving Lewis Allen's City in Slang…
Santa Claus & Sidewalk Santas
What would Christmas be without New York City? "A Visit From St. Nicholas," also known from its first line of "'Twas the night before Christmas," was published in 1822. It…
Scofflaw
"Scofflaw" is now what people are called who don't pay their parking tickets. However, the word "scofflaw" began as the winning word in a Prohibition-era contest to find a…
Secret Santa
Entry in proress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Secret SantaSecret Santa is a Western Christmas tradition in which members of a group or community are randomly assigned a person to whom they anonymously give a…
Senior Citizen
"Senior Citizen" was essentially coined in California in the late 1930s. The pensions for "senior citizens" became a political issue on the west coast in 1937 and 1938.…
Shyster
Gerald Cohen is a professor at the University of Missouri-Rolla and the editor of Comments on Etymology. Before his 1991 Big Apple monograph, Cohen published these two in the 1980s: Origin of the…
Sidewalk Superintendent
"Sidewalk superintendent" was John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s idea. During the Depression, many unemployed workers sat at the construction sites, watched, and commented…
Skycap
The word "skycap," like "scofflaw," entered the language as a contest winner. Willie Wainwright, of New Orleans, won $100 in 1940 for his suggestion of "skycap" for…
Slumlord
A "slumlord" (or "slum landlord") is the owner of a property in disrepair who lets to tenants. The term is American and dates after the Second World War (1945--). Our first…
Smart Alec
Gerald Cohen did research on the New York City origins of "smart alec." A piece on "smart alec" appeared in a New York Times "F.Y.I." column in 2002. Gerald Cohen…
Smoke-Eater; Smoke-Chewer
"Smoke-eaters" are firefighters, also known as New York's "Bravest." "Smoke-chewer" isn't used today, but the 1884 citation below is interesting.…
Snakehead
"Snakeheads" (or "snake heads") are people who traffic in illegal (usually Chinese) immigration. Many Chinese brought into America by "snakeheads" find themselves…