Little India (East 6th Street in Manhattan)
"Little India" on East 6th Street in Manhattan, between First and Second Avenues (there is also a "Little India" in Jackson Heights, Queens), began in 1968 when the first Indian…
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Murder, Inc.
"Murder, Inc." is the name of the old criminal association of the 1930s and 1940s. The name was coined in a New York World-Telegram headline, from headline writer Asa Bordages…
Little Brazil
"Little Brazil Street," West 46th Street between 5th Avenue and Broadway, was dedicated in 1996. 30 April 1968, New York Times, pg. 49:City's Brazilians Cluster Colorfully in West…
New Jack City
"New Jack City" is a hip-hop term for New York City. The 1991 film of this name popularized the term, but also limited its use. If you say "New Jack City," people think…
Hymietown; Jew York (Jew + New York)
"Jew York" and "Hymietown" are two terms that reflect New York City's large Jewish population. Both terms are usually considered derogatory. The poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972)…
Orient Express or International Line (7 train)
The "Orient Express" is the 7 train that takes you to the many Asian neighborhoods of Queens. "International Line" is the "politically correct" term. The real…
Little Poland (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
"Little Poland" is today Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Various other areas had previously used this name. Wikipedia: Greenpoint, BrooklynGreenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New…
Little Odessa; Little Ukraine
Little Ukraine (a term from at least the 1950s) is near Cooper Square in the East Village, around East 7th Street, in Manhattan. Little Odessa (a term from the 1970s) is Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.…
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…
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…