A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

Recent entries:
“Don’t be a chaser, be the one who gets chased. You are the tequila, not the lime” (3/28)
“Shoutout to ATM fees for making me buy my own money” (3/27)
“Thank you, ATM fees, for allowing me to buy my own money” (3/27)
“Anyone else boil the kettle twice? Just in case the boiling water has gone cold…” (3/27)
“Shout out to ATM fees for making me buy my own money” (3/27)
More new entries...

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z


Entry from October 16, 2006
“Bigger than Dallas” (“Bigger ‘n Dallas”)

Dallas is big. Houston, however, is the most populous city in Texas. Dallas has long been nicknamed “Big D.”

The phrase “bigger than Dallas” (“bigger ‘n Dallas”)—meaning something that is very big—has been popular since at least the 1960s.
 
   
Old Sayings Collection
Bigger than Dallas
 
Wikipedia: Bigger Than Dallas
Bigger Than Dallas is an alternative country band, founded in 2002 by singer/songwriter Rob Alderman. The band hails from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
 
After several lineup changes, the band included Davis Cutshaw on bass and multi-instrumentalist Callie Harmon on guitar and mandolin.
 
9 August 1903, Boston Daily Globe, pg. 34:
“I’ve never been to any place bigger than Dallas,” said Chief Hefley. “You all ought to see Dallas at the time of the state fair. It’s a mighty lively town. The most beneficent work of providence, I think, was putting the Indian territory between Texas and Kansas. It was necessary to have something there to prevent things. The settlement of the territory may be the cause of making a sort of tapering off place from each state, so that the people will be able to become used to each other by degrees.”
 
5 April 1955, New York Times, pg. 47 ad:
consumer markets says…
DALLAS’
BUSINESS
IS BIGGER
THAN
DALLAS
 
only
The Dallas Morning News
covers the bigger Dallas Market that looks to Dallas, buys in Dallas, and reads The Dallas News
 
23 April 1964, El Paso (TX) Herald-Post, “As I Was Saying” by Bob Ingram, pg. D1, col. 1:
They, said Eddie, are bigger than Dallas, have more moves than a can of worms and will leave their opponents shakier than flies with DDT’s next fall.
 
14 April 1971, Ruston (LA) Daily Leader, pg. 9, col. 1:
But there he was, bigger than Dallas, walking along the green, green grass of the Diplomat Country Club course in 1969.
 
21 April 1973, Lubbock (TX) Avalanche-Journal, pg. 12D, col. 5:
The undersigned hereby gives notice of application to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Austin, Texas, for a Mixed Beverage Permit, to be located at 7300 block east side South University, in Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas. Said business to be operated under the name Bigger ‘N Dallas Club.
 
4 January 1975, Reno (NV) Evening Gazette, pg. 9, col. 3:
When a rider let his free arm drop to his waist, he complained, “If you’d keep your arm up you’d a been 80 points just bigger than Dallas.”

20 November 1975, Ruston (LA) Daily Leader, pg. 6, col. 5:
Now, Big Jim is a tough rascal, as gritty as they come. But what he saw caused a lump bigger’n Dallas to well up in his throat.
   
Google Books
Texas, a self-portrait
By Jon Holmes
New York, NY: Bonanza Books
1985
Pg. 169:
Where a New Yorker would speak of something as “Texas-sized,” the Texan would say it was “bigger ‘n Dallas.”
 
Library of Congress online catalog
Type of Material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
Personal Name: Tidmore, Kurt, 1950- 
Main Title: Bigger ’n Dallas / Kurt Tidmore.
Edition Information: 1st ed.
Published/Created: New York : Grove Weidenfeld, 1991.
Description: 185 p. ; 22 cm.
 
7 April 1997, New York Times, pg. D9:
He got an eye-opener when audience research showed “there was a hole bigger than Dallas” among Tulsa radio listeners.

Posted by Barry Popik
Texas (Lone Star State Dictionary) • Monday, October 16, 2006 • Permalink


Commenting is not available in this channel entry.