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…
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Dead Line
The "deadline" started as a Civil War term, then became the police line at Fulton Street, and then became the police line at Fourteenth Street. The newspaper use of "deadline"…
WillyB, Billyburg, Billburg, B-burg (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
A hip new place must have hip new names. Silly names, perhaps, but new nonetheless. "Willy B" or "WillyB" or "WB" is Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It's also used for…
Shao-Lin (Staten Island)
"Shaolin" or "Shao-Lin" is "Staten Island" in hip-hop slang. It's no "boogie down Bronx" in my opinion--not that rappers ask for my opinion. A Google…
Crooklyn
"Brooklyn," in hip-hop language. It's not a particularly flattering nickname. Spike Lee's 1994 film with this title probably didn't coin the name, but certainly popularized…
Boogie Down Bronx
The New York City borough of the Bronx is sometimes called the 'Boogie Down Bronx" or simply the "Boogie Down." The term reflects the role that the Bronx played in the birth of…
Borough of Homes
Both Brooklyn and Queens have used "Borough of Homes." The appellation began fairly soon after the cities united into one city with boroughs in 1898. 16 April 1899, Brooklyn Daily…
City of Churches (Brooklyn)
Brooklyn was a city before it became a borough of New York City. Brooklyn had many churches and was called the "City of Churches" by at least 1841. Many other cities around the world have…
Dead Man’s Curve
"Dead Man's Curve" is more popularly known today as a song by Jan and Dean, but it was the corner of 14th Street and Broadway. Some find it irony that a statue of Gandhi now stands…
Labor Day
New York City has long received credit for "Labor Day." Perhaps that's wrong and New York wasn't the first, but New York's Labor Day Parade and tradition is probably the…
Perp Walk
"Perp" means "perpetrator." The New York City "perp walk" is the long walk the perp takes, usually from a vehicle into a building, facing the cameras of the press…
Black-and-White (cookie)
The famous black-and-white "cookie" is actually a "cake." The black-and-white was re-popularized on the television show Seinfeld in the 1990s. Unfortunately, I haven't…
Desk Appearance Ticket (DAT)
A "desk appearance ticket" (DAT) has nothing to do with a desk's appearance. In New York City, many people arrested for misdemeanors and “E” felonies are ordered to appear for…
LES (Lower East Side)
Do we have to call it L-E-S? Just like Kentucky Fried Chicken became KFC? Is it to remove the offensive word "lower"? "ALLAN RICHMAN on New York's Lower East Side"…
“A nickel gets you on the subway, but garlic gets you a seat”
This is listed as an "old New York saying" or "Yiddish saying" on many web sites. It had better be old. The subway a nickel? I've also seen it on the web as "three…
New York will be a nice town when it’s finished
On January 1, 2006, in his inaugural address, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg stated: "It was O. Henry who once wrote that 'New York will be a great place -- if they ever finish…
Chicken and Waffles
Harlem likes to take credit for the combination of "chicken and waffles." Several recent articles claim that Wells Supper Club started the tradition there in 1938. It isn't so.…
Moving Day (May 1st)
May 1st of every year was "moving day," according to old New York City tradition. (Oxford English Dictionary)MOVING DAY, n. 1. The day of a move to a new residence; (U.S.) the day on…
Egg Roll, Won Ton (Cantonese Cuisine)
Chinese (Cantonese) cuisine was the most popular cuisine in Chinese-American restaurants in the 1900s. Lum Fong (who owned a Chinatown restaurant on Canal Street) was credited for introducing many…
Cheesecake
New York City did not invent the cheesecake (the German immigrants brought it over), but New York certainly perfected it. 6 October 1931, Syracuse (NY) Herald, pg. X, col. 5:New York Cheese…