For lagniappe on the whole "big apple" business, Gene Buckley sent in a link to a page at Cecil Adams' Straight Dope site. Adams documents his dialogue with Barry Popik, whom he calls "[b]y day a NYC parking-ticket judge, by night ... an indefatigable word sleuth". Adams' discussion of Popik's position on "big apple" is clearer than what you'll find on Popik's web site, and Adams also discusses Popik's theories about "windy city".
My favorite part?
"... when Popik attempted to notify former Chicagoan but soon-to-be New Yorker Hillary Rodham Clinton of his findings, she blew him off with a form letter--and this from a woman facing a campaign for the Senate. Come on, Hill, quit worrying about the Puerto Ricans and pay attention here. You want to lose the etymologist vote?"
A word to the wise.
Posted by Mark Liberman at July 22, 2004 11:57 AM