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| AMERICANISMS |
 Washington toothpicks Email this post card Place names sometimes leave a mark not only on the map, but on the language. A few classic examples (we welcome more): Adirondack chair - The sloped-back lawn chair originated in this part of northern New York, but was first known as the Westport chair, for the community on Lake Champlain Alabama egg - Egg fried in the hollow middle of a slice of bread
Arizona strawberries - A cowboy phrase for beans. Arkansas toothpick - A large bowie knife. Arkansas travels - Diarrhea. Baked Alaska - This seeming oxymoron is a dessert of ice cream covered with cake, pastry or meringue and baked in a hot oven. The name reputedly was coined at Delmonico's Restaurant, in recognition of the newly acquired territory. Boston baked beans - Prepared with molasses and pork, Boston beans were a Saturday-night tradition for many New Englanders. Boston cream pie - Not really a pie but a cake. Designated by the Massachusetts Legislature as the official state dessert. Bronx cheer - A sputtering, often splattering, sound of disapproval, generally traced to Yankee Stadium. Buffalo wings - There are many legends about the fiery finger food; the most popular places its origins at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY.
California collar - Hangman's noose. Other favorites from frontier days: Cape Cod turkey - Codfish, from the era when the fishing industry ruled. Cape Codder - A refreshing drink of cranberry juice and vodka. Charleston - The dance, believed to have been around since the mid-19th century, was made popular by the "Ziegfeld Follies" in 1923. Cincinnati oysters - Pigs' feet, for the local packing plants. Colorado Kool-aid - Coors beer.
Coney Island - A hot dog smothered in chili. Curiously, in New York state, a Coney Island is sometimes called a Michigan. Denver boot - Not footwear for the urban cowboy, but a device clamped to the wheel of a parked vehicle, to prevent its driver from skedaddling before he pays all those overdue parking tickets. Denver omelet - Prepared with ham, onions and green pepper. Easterners usually refer to the dish as a "western omelet." Florida room - A sun room or lounge with big windows. (Arizonans often call these "Arizona rooms.") Full Cleveland - As defined by The New York Times (June 20, 2004), an outfit consisting of "a matching white belt and shoes (preferably worn with a powder-blue leisure suit)." In Canada, the look is called a full Nanaimo. Georgia ice cream - Grits. Kansas sheep dip - Whiskey. Louisville slugger - Baseball bat invented in 1884 by apprentice woodworker J.A. "Bud" Hillerich and made famous by baseball greats Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb. Manhattan clam chowder - Tomato-based chowder, as opposed to the milky Cape Cod version. Manhattan - Cocktail (of whiskey, vermouth and bitters), actually invented in Queens. Michigan bankroll - A wad of bills, with a large denomination on the outside and smaller denominations on the inside. Also called Oklahoma bankroll or Philadelphia bankroll. Mississippi mud pie - A rich chocolate dessert, often with graham-cracker crust. Nebraska brick - A square of prairie sod used to build a sod house. New York minute - In the city that never sleeps, this is just a blink of an eye. (Also the title of a Don Henley song and a 2004 movie starring the Olsen twins.) Oklahoma rain - Sandstorm. Philly cheese steak - Grilled beef on an Italian roll with melted cheese. The city's signature dish is believed to have been invented by a local hot dog vendor named Pat Olivieri. Rhode Island red - A breed of chicken known for its red feathers and brown eggs. Santa Ana - A strong, hot wind in southern California, for the Santa Ana Mountains. Saratoga - A lady's traveling trunk, named for the spa in upstate New York. Springfield - A rifle made in Springfield, MA. The Springfield Armory manufactured arms for the U.S. military from 1794 to 1968. Texas tea - Oil, as immortalized in the Ballad of Jed Clampett. Texas turkey - Armadillo. Texas toast - Thick sliced bread, buttered, toasted and usually served with chicken-fried steak. Tuxedo - The jacket was actually named for the affluent community in New York. West Virginia coleslaw - Chewing tobacco. |
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