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.

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Entry from May 21, 2006
Fat City
"Fat City" was the title of a book and a movie. The slang term ("easy street in fat city") meant to be well off. It is not known where this originated.

"Fat" meant something like "phat." "Fat" meaning "overweight" came soon after.

15 March 1956, Pasadena (CA) <ı>Independent>/ı>, pg. A2:
You know you're getting old when the kids look down their collective noses at you for saying "Crazy" when things are alright. Teenager buddy clued the Museum the other day, "Man, crazy is out of it -- you gotta say 'fat city' now." Oh well.

13 April 1961, Washington Post, pg. A1:
"Wow, this is Easy Street in a fat city," said a white Peking Duckling, lying back maharajah-style.

6 June 1963, Oakland (CA) Tribune, pg. 30:
The winner of the 1963 Joseph Henry Jackson Award of $1,000 is Leonard Gardner, a 29 year old San Francisco writer. Gardner won the award, named for the late critic and author, for a novel in progress called "Fat City."
Posted by Barry Popik
Names/Phrases • Sunday, May 21, 2006 • Permalink


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