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From: berry@zinfandel.UUCP (Berry Kercheval)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Origin of THE BIG APPLE?
Message-ID: <305@zinfandel.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 17-Jan-85 11:03:05 EST
Article-I.D.: zinfande.305
Posted: Thu Jan 17 11:03:05 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Jan-85 05:49:36 EST
References: <268@wlbr.UUCP> <624@aluxe.UUCP>
Reply-To: berry@zinfandel.UUCP (Berry Kercheval)
Organization: Zehntel Inc., Walnut Creek CA
Lines: 31
Summary: 

In article <624@aluxe.UUCP> 2141smh@aluxe.UUCP (S. M. Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA) writes:
>****                                                                 ****
>From the keys of Steve Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA aluxe!2141smh
>
>> What is the origin of the nickname of New York City: "The Big Apple" ?
>
>It is because late in the day all of the doorways look like holes with worms
>coming out saying, "Pssst, could you lend a fellow ....." or "Say Buddy, 
>come over here a minute, I got something for you"
>                                       Jan 5, 1962 letter by author



Well, according to John Ciardi in hes wonderful book THE BROWSERS DICTIONARY,
"The term originated among black musicians of New Orleans c. 1910, as a 
translation of Spanish {\it manzana principal}.  'Manzana' means "apple",
but also "tract of land" (apple orchard), and in common usage "city block".  
{\it Manzana principal,} a main city block, downtown, the main stem, where
the action is.  The term later passed into show biz with the sense "the big
time," and thence probably to Mr. Gillett [Pres. of the N.Y. Convention and 
Visitors Bureau, who tried to get the term adopted as the official nickname
of N.Y. circa 1971 -- berry], but it has always remained a special term for 
jazz men.  In his book {\it Hi De Ho} (1936) Cab Calloway defined the Big
Apple as "the big town, the main stem, Harlem."

	The Browsers Dictionary, by John Ciardi.
	Harper & Row, New York, 1980
	ISBN 0-06-010766-9
-- 
Berry Kercheval		Zehntel Inc.	(ihnp4!zehntel!zinfandel!berry)
(415)932-6900