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. A series of citations, quotations, and evidence on the true origins of terms and words from and about Texas. 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 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 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)
“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)
“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, No Cattle” (8/3)
“Bigger than Dallas” ("Bigger’n Dallas") (10/16)
“Black/Dark as midnight under a skillet” (12/5)
“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)
“Come Early; Be Loud; Stay Late” (Longhorns slogan) (12/6)
“Come on ice cream!” (post-jalapeño-eating saying) (2/26)
“Confused as a cow on AstroTurf” (or, “Confused as a goat on AstroTurf") (9/4)
“Conserve Texas water—Drink Texas wine” (8/12)
“Courtesy, Service, Protection” (Texas Department of Public Safety motto) (12/20)
“Cowboy Up” (1/2)
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