“Make it a Blockbuster night” (Blockbuster)
Blockbuster Inc. began with a Dallas video store in 1985. The entertainment rental store is now the largest such chain in the world, headquartered at the Renaissance Tower in Dallas. "Make it…
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“The energy to take you anywhere” (Valero Energy Corporation)
Valero Energy Corporation began in 1980 and takes its name from Mission San Antonio de Valero (better known as the Alamo). The San Antonio-based energy company has many gas stations throughout…
Texas Schmexas (Texas Shmexas)
"Fancy schmancy" (less frequently spelled "fancy shmancy") is a Yiddish expression from the early 1900s, meaning that something may be "fancy," but that it's…
Wham Bam Tram or A Streetcar Named Disaster (Houston’s MetroRail)
The city of Houston's MetroRail system is 7.5 miles of light rail, first opened in 2004. MetroRail had so many accidents in its first months of operation that it was being dubbed the…
Brown Bag Special (“crack kit”)
A "brown bag special" has also been called a "crack kit," consisting of a glass pipe, steel wool pad and butane lighter -- all sold in a brown paper bag by convenience stores.…
Slacker Capital of the World (Austin nickname)
Richard Linklater's 1991 film Slacker showed one day in the life of the offbeat characters of Austin, Texas. A "slacker" is someone who does not follow the corporate track with his…
Silicone City (Houston nickname)
"Silicone City" is a nickname for Houston that first appeared in a lengthy story in the August 1995 Texas Monthly. The silicone breast implant was invented in Houston in 1962 by doctors…
“Tyler and Texas!”
President John Tyler tried to form a new party of Democratic Republicans, using "Tyler and Texas!" as its slogan. Tyler's Texas annexation treaty was rejected by the Senate, 35-16,…
“Let the bastards freeze in the dark” & “Drive 80 mph and freeze a Yankee”
"Let the bastards freeze in the dark" (or "Let the Yankee bastards freeze in the dark" or "Let them freeze in the dark") and "Drive 80 mph and freeze a…
“Texas: Come for the adventure, stay for your wrongful execution”
"Texas: Come for the adventure, stay for your wrongful execution" is one of several politically incorrect state slogans sold by the Jerkass Clothing Company. The slogan has not been cited…
“How hard could it be?” (2006 Kinky Friedman campaign slogan for governor)
"How hard could it be?” was Texas author/musician/humorist Kinky Friedman’s 2006 campaign slogan in the race for Governor of Texas. He finished fourth. Another popular Kinky Friedman…
“Standing Over Texas” (Tex Randall statue slogan)
"Tex Randall" is the name that was given in 1987 to the 47-foot-tall statue in Canyon, Texas, in Randall County. The statue was originally built in 1959 to promote a Western curio shop…
Moonlight Towers & Moonlight City (Austin nickname)
Austin is the only city in the country that has "moonlight towers." In 1894, 31 arc light towers (165 feet tall) were purchased by the city of Austin from the city of Detroit. Seventeen…
“Walking back to Houston” (Ace-King in Texas Hold’em)
"Walking back to Houston" is the Ace-King starting hand in Texas Hold'em poker. Championship player T. J. Cloutier coined the term, saying: "I can see you learned to play in…
Dallas Star (cocktail)
Trader Vic's is a chain of Polynesian-themed restaurants founded by Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. (1902-1984). The restaurants were enormously popular in the 1950s and 1960s, during a Tiki…
Toxic City (Texas City nickname)
Texas City and its surrounding region in Galveston County is home to many petrochemical plants. By at least 1990, Texas City acquired the unattractive nickname of "Toxic City." The…
The Stroll (Seventh Ave. between 131-132 Streets)
"The Stroll" is a term for the center street (the social center) in an area of New York City with a large black population. The Stroll was originally between 26th and 63rd Streets on the…
Mecca (Madison Square Garden nickname)
Madison Square Garden is often called the "mecca," a puzzling term to many today. However, the term "mecca" was first applied to the second Madison Square Garden (at Madison…
“You are now free to move about the country” (Southwest Airlines)
Southwest Airlines began in 1967 as a low-cost airline based in Dallas, serving Houston and San Antonio. It is now one of the largest airlines in the United States. GSD&M Idea City came up with…
Danger Dog (Tijuana Hot Dog; Tijuana Dog; Mexican Hot Dog; Bacon Dog)
The "bacon dog" (a hot dog wrapped in bacon, also often containing cheese) has been served in the United States since the early 1960s. In the 1990s, Mexican street vendors began selling…