Skelly (or skelsy, skellzies, scully, tops, caps)
"Skelly" is an old New York City game. There is a good entry for it in the Dictionary of American Regional English, but there are earlier citations to be found. It is said that the game…
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Typhoid Mary
"Typhoid Mary" is one of the few persons of any sort to have an entry in the Oxford English Dictionary. She has been the subject of several books and a PBS Nova documentary investigation.…
Big Apple Fest (2005)
UPDATE: The second Big Apple Fest was announced for 2005, but it never took place. The following was written in early 2005. The Big Apple Fest is continuing for 2005. The Big Apple Fest website has…
One PP or Puzzle Palace (One Police Plaza)
One Police Plaza (near the Brooklyn Bridge) is the main police headquarters. It is sometimes called "puzzle palace," a nickname originally used for the Pentagon building in Washington,…
B-Boy or B-Girl (Bronx Boy/Girl or Break Boy/Girl)
"B-Boy" or "B-Girl" (also "Bronx boy/girl" or "break boy/girl") are breakdancing terms from the 1980s Bronx. They are still used today. (Oxford English…
EMS (“Every Minute Sucks”)
EMS is the Emergency Medical Services. Nicknames include "Every Minute Sucks" and "Earn Money Sleeping." http://www.faqs.org/faqs/tv/nypd-blue/EMS Emergency Medical Services,…
Track Pizza
"Track pizza" is another name for a subway suicide, where someone throws himself or herself in front of a moving train. A bloody red mess results ("pizza"). Not sold by the…
“On the 6” (1999) & “Jenny from the Block” (2002)
On September 1, 1850, Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale," arrived in New York on the strength of her big hit, "Jenny from the Block." Nah, wrong Jenny. Just kidding! Bronx…
Bronx Indian or Brooklyn Indian
A "Bronx Indian" or a "Brooklyn Indian" was a term for a Jew. The terms are not complimentary and are not used anymore. They were most frequently used in the 1940s during World…
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…
Bridal Building
The Bridal Building is in the Garment District (or, Fashion Center) at 1385 Broadway, by 38th Street. The name "Bridal Building" itself isn't that old, but bridal wear has been in…
La Marqueta
"La Maqueta" is the name for the market on Park Avenue, from 111th to 116th Streets. Mayor LaGuardia removed the pushcarts and created the market in 1936. In the 1950s, the area became…
Heisman Trophy
The Downtown Athletic Club (18 West Street) is probably best known for awarding the Heisman Trophy to the nation's best college football player. In 2001, however, the financially strapped DAC…
Little Spain
"Little Spain" is (or was) 14th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. A restaurant called Little Spain was at 232 West 14th Street. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Spanish Harlem…
Automobile Row
"Automobile Row" (where the auto dealerships are) has moved from Broadway (between the 50s and 70s) to Eleventh Avenue. The term dates from about 1900. 25 June 1907, New York Times, pg.…
Cafe Society
"Cafe Society" was coined by Cholly Knickerbocker (Maury Paul) at the New York American in 1919. There was a movie titled Cafe Society (1939). Lucius Beebe consulted on the movie and was…
Westchester: Golden Apple (nickname)
Westchester County also got into the "Big Apple" act in the late 1970s, copying New York City with a "Golden Apple" campaign of its own. The nickname is still used, but does not…
Chess District; Washington Square Park’s “Snake Pit”
Greenwich Village has its own "Chess District." It starts at the southwest corner of Washington Square Park, where you can grab a table if the weather cooperates. Then, walk down Thompson…
“Here Comes Mister Softee” (1959)
The Mister Softee jingle brings back fond memories to many; to others, it's simply more noise pollution. It's been the subject of a recent crackdown by Mayor Bloomberg on noise. The soft…
New York Review of Each Other’s Books
The New York Review of Books began in 1963. It's been called many things, but New York Review of Each Other's Books seems to have stuck in people's minds. It is not known who coined…