Texas, The Lone Star State

This site is edited by Barry Popik. Technical matters are handled by Grant Barrett of Double-Tongued Word Wrester Dictionary.

The Lone Star State. An etymological dictionary investigating the origins of Texas words, names, quotations and phrases, specializing in modern slang, nicknames, slogans, proverbs, adages and aphorisms. A web site by Barry Popik.

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“‘Onced’ and ‘twiced’ are words” (8/4)
“78704—More than just a ZIP code” ("78704—Actually, it’s just a ZIP code") (3/2)
“8 Days a Week” (Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart) (7/2)
“A community bound by books” (BookPeople slogan) (12/18)
“A conscience is like a boat or a car. If you feel you need one, rent it” (J.R. on Dallas tv series) (5/31)
“A cowboy is a man with guts and a horse” (3/15)
“A dollar-three-eighty” (3/19)
“A heart the size of Texas” or “A heart as big as Texas” (Texas saying) (2/15)
“A hit dog will holler” (1/2)
“A lick and a promise” (1/31)
“A line in the sand” (Col. Travis in 1836; Pres. Bush in 1990) (12/27)
“A Texan is a Mexican who couldn’t swim to Oklahoma” (dirty joke definition) (3/11)
“Acres and acres, and she’s all mine!” (Texas size joke) (12/5)
“Alamo has no back door” (Maury Maverick, Jr.) (12/29)
“All barbecue experts are self-proclaimed” (3/27)
“All broth and no beans” (12/2)
“America’s Motor Lunch” & “A Tasty Meal Served at Your Wheel” (Pig Stand slogans) (5/13)
“An atheist is a man who buys a ticket to the Notre Dame-SMU game and doesn’t care who wins” (9/7)
“And the horse you rode in on” (2/24)
“Any jackass can kick a barn down, but it took a carpenter to build it” (Sam Rayburn) (1/4)
“As goes South Texas, so goes the U.S. crop” (9/6)
“As welcome as a skunk at a lawn party” (7/27)
“At GM, you form a committee on snakes, then hire a consultant…” (Ross Perot) (10/18)
“Bacon Strip” District (9/1)
“Barbecue is as old as fire” (2/15)
“Barbecue sauce is like a beautiful woman. If it’s too sweet, it’s bound to be hiding something” (6/11)
“Be always sure you’re right—then go ahead” (Davy Crockett) (8/12)
“Beat like a rented mule” (12/31)
“Bet that it would never rain again” (Texas weather joke) (8/29)
“Between a rock and a weird place” (Pflugerville, near Round Rock and Austin) (11/23)
“Between hay and grass” (1/1)
“Bevo. It’s what’s for dinner.” (anti-UT Longhorn slogan) (10/25)
“Big as hell and half of Texas” (12/28)
“Big hat and no cattle” ("All hat and no cattle") (8/3)
“Bigger than Dallas” ("Bigger ‘n Dallas") (10/16)
“Black/Dark as midnight under a skillet” (12/5)
“Bonjour, y’all” (Paris, Texas greeting) (4/14)
“Bottle of Pearl, please!” (Pearl Beer slogan) (5/15)
“Boy, Hidy!” (or “Boy, Howdy!") (2/23)
“Bring it on!” ("Bring ‘em on!") (9/9)
“Bubba likes it” (Lone Star Cafe slogan) (9/22)
“Bugled to Jesus” (to die) (10/3)
“Can’t dance and it’s too wet to plow” (2/3)
“Cattle come first, then men, then horses, then women” (2/3)
“Change planes in Dallas” (where a Texan going to heaven or hell goes first) (9/5)
“Check the date, love your state” (vehicle registration) (8/21)
“Chicken for the strength, waffles for the speed” (Lucky J’s chicken & waffles) (8/18)
“Chief executives have no more feeling for stockholders than for African baboons” (T. Boone Pickens) (1/4)
“Chile is one of the few foods that has its own goddess” (Diana Kennedy) (11/24)
“Chile Today, Hot Tamale” (or “Chili Today, Hot Tamale") (11/30)
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