Footlong (Foot-long)
A "footlong" (or "foot-long," originally two words) is a twelve-inch-long hot dog. The "foot long" craze began about 1935; by 1938, many restaurants (mostly in the…
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Slaw Dog (Slaw Dawg; Slawdog; Slawdawg)
A "slaw dog" ("slaw dawg" for the Southern pronunciation, also sometimes written as one word) is simply cole slaw placed on a hot dog. It cannot be known who first put cole slaw…
Nacho Salad
The taco was featured in a taco salad by the 1960s. Nachos were invented in the 1940s and have been featured in a "nacho salad" since at least the 1980s. The nacho salad is decidedly less…
“It’s More Bueno” (Taco Bueno)
Taco Bueno is a restaurant that began in Abilene in 1967. The restaurant chain (a competitor to Taco Bell) now has many locations is several states and is headquartered in Farmers Branch, Texas.…
Big Country
In January 1966, the Abilene (TX) Reporter-News held a contest to name its special area of Texas. The winning name (selected by several people) was "Big Country." The Big Country had been…
Texas Midwest (Texas Midwest Day)
The "Texas Midwest" (also called the "Big Country") is the about-20-county area around Abilene (the hub city of the mostly rural area). The city of Haskell calls itself the…
AQUA (Ascan Avenue/Queens Boulevard/Union Turnpike/Austin Street in Forest Hills)
AQUA (an acronym nickname for the area of Forest Hills in Queens bordered by Ascan Avenue, Queens Boulevard, Union Turnpike, and Austin Street) was invented by the blog "Forest Hills 72"…
Country Club Precinct (Police Precincts #100 and #112 in Queens)
A "country club precinct" is a police precinct that has very little crime -- policing it is like relaxing at a country club. Both the 100th Precinct in Queens (Rockaway Peninsula and the…
World’s Richest Acre (oil-rich acre in Kilgore)
The East Texas Oil Field was discovered in 1930; oil was discovered in the city of Kilgore in 1937. The acre at Commerce and Main streets was called the "world's richest acre" by…
City of Stars (Kilgore nickname)
The city of Kilgore in East Texas used to have over 1,000 oil derricks. Today, about 70 oil derricks remain. A star is on the top of each derrick, lit every Christmas. In 2003, the Texas…
Jew Gardens (Kew Gardens)
Kew Gardens in Queens became home to a large community of Jewish refugees from World War II. "Jew Gardens" is a nickname for Kew Gardens that perhaps was in use in the 1950s. Kew Gardens…
Crew Gardens (Kew Gardens)
Kew Gardens in Queens is close to both LaGuardia and JFK airports. Many airline personnel (flight attendants and pilots) live in Kew Gardens; by at least 2000, the nickname "Crew Gardens"…
“Texas is so big that the people in Brownsville call the people in Dallas ‘Yankees.’”
"Texas is so big that the people in Brownsville call the Dallas people Yankees and citizens of El Paso sneer at the citizens of Texarkana as being big snobs from the effete East." This…
“If all the Texas steers were one steer, he would have his front feet in the Gulf of Mexico…”
Texas author Boyce House (1896-1961) is best known for his short, best-selling Texas humor books published during World War II, providing a chuckle to Texans and non-Texans everywhere. House also…
“Texas tall talk is not a lie; it is an expression of a larger truth.” (Paul Crume)
Paul Crume (1912-1975) was a columnist for the Dallas Morning News, where he wrote the front-page "Big D" column of news tidbits. In his book A Texan at Bay (1961), he wrote:…
“Texas occupies all of the North American continent except Canada, Mexico and the rest of the U.S.”
Texas author Boyce House (1896-1961) is best known for his short, best-selling Texas humor books published during World War II, providing a chuckle to Texans and non-Texans everywhere. House also…
“God made Texas on his day off, for pure entertainment…” (Mary Lasswell)
The author Mary Lasswell (1905-1994) grew up in Brownsville. In her book I'll Take Texas (1958), she wrote a sentiment that is widely quoted: "I am forced to conclude that God made Texas…
“You know the good part about all those executions in Texas? Fewer Texans.” (George Carlin)
George Carlin (1937-2008) was a stand-up comedian from New York City. Carlin worked in radio in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1959, when he started his comedy career. Perhaps Carlin didn't like Texas.…
“Texas is neither southern nor western. Texas is Texas.” (William Blakley)
William Blakley (1898-1976) was a Texas senator for two incomplete terms, the first in 1957 and the second in 1961. He is remembered today for the quotation: "Texas is neither southern nor…
High Tech Happy Hour (Low Tech Happy Hour)
The "happy hour" was a navy term describing the period for entertainment and refreshments, used during World War I (1918). "Happy hour" became a time period for when bars and…