| Date: |
Monday, January 1, 2001
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| Question/Topic: |
Big Apple - New York City
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| Answer/Pointer: |
They call New York City "The Big Apple." The name was originally used in the 1920s and '30s by people in the sports and entertainment world,
particularly jazz musicians, as a way of saying, "I'm playing New York City; I've made it to the big time - the big Apple."
A variation on the same theme goes: "there are many apples on the tree,but when you pick New York City, you pick
the Big Apple." That's the explanation offered by Charles Gillett, president of the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Source: Fodor's New York City [1985]
see also: New Dictionary of American Slang, by Robert Chapman R 427 Cha (p.24)
Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, by William Morris R 422.03 Mor (p.58)
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| Librarian: |
LCLCPL
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| Comments: |
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