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:
Crun (croissant + cinnamon bun) (3/28)
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“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)
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Entry from January 29, 2006
Boss
"Boss" comes from the Dutch term and was used in New Amsterdam, then New York City.

(Oxford English Dictionary)
boss, n.
[ad. Du. baas master (older sense 'uncle'), supposed to be related to Ger. base female cousin, OHG. basa 'aunt'.]

An orig. American equivalent of 'master' in the sense of employer of labour; applied also to a business manager, or any one who has a right to give orders. In England at first only in workmen's slang, or humorously, = 'leading man, swell, top-sawyer'; now in general use in Britain.

[a1649 J. WINTHROP Hist. New England (1908) I. 166 Here arrived a small Norsey bark..with one Gardiner, an expert engineer or work base [= Du. werk-baas], and provisions. 1653 F. NEWMAN et al. Let. May in E. Hazard Hist. Collections (1794) II. 236 From our Place of Residence at the Basses house in the Monhatoes.]

1806 W. IRVING Let. 26 May in P. M. Irving Life & Lett. (1862) I. xi. 138, I had to return, make an awkward apology to boss, and look like a nincompoop. 1813 LD. YARMOUTH Let. 12 Dec. in E. Taylor Taylor Papers (1913) vii. 98 There are some peasants watching, one of whom has frightened the boss with an alarm of a sortie.
Posted by Barry Popik
Workers/People • Sunday, January 29, 2006 • Permalink


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