Google Answers falls for "Big Apple" whores (AGAIN!)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

This never ends. You do a good deed for New York City, and you're tortured 
for the rest of your life.
  
Google will soon remove my answer to this (just as my other answer was 
removed/censored). Maybe someone else can say the same thing?
  
  
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=412624
    

Question        
    
Subject: Manhattan nickname 
Category: Miscellaneous 
Asked by: rainbowjoe-ga 
List Price: $2.00   Posted: 09 Oct 2004 17:25 PDT 
Expires: 08 Nov 2004 16:25 PST 
Question ID: 412624 
    
How did the borough of Manhattan, city of new york, become known as the "Big 
Apple"?  


    
Answer      
    
Subject: Re: Manhattan nickname 
Answered By: hummer-ga on 09 Oct 2004 18:11 PDT 
        
Hi rainbowjoe,
  
Well, you've posted an interesting and delicate question. Althoughmany would 
like to credit John J. FitzGerald with popularizing thephrase in the 1920's, 
its roots can be traced to a hundred years before that, according the the 
Society for New York City History, andto one Mlle. Evelyn Claudine de 
Saint-Évremond, who referred to her"temptresses in her employ as 'my irresistable apples.'" 
I'll copy &paste a bit of the Society's article, but please click on the link 
toread it in its entirety.
  
Society for New York City History:Why Is New York City Called "The Big 
Apple"?" Meanwhile, various "apple" catch-phrases -- "the Apple Tree," "theReal 
Apple," etc. -- were used as synonyms for New York City itself,which boasted (if 
that is the term) more houses of ill repute percapita than any other major U.S. 
municipality.""This is by far the most frequently asked question submitted to 
ourNew York History Hotline."http://salwen.com/apple.html   

>>> If you prefer more conventional origins...
  
Phrase and word origins:Why is New York City called The Big Apple?"The phrase 
"The Big Apple" referring to New York City was first usedin a 1909 book, The 
Wayfarer in New York edited by Edward S. Martin.In a metaphor explaining the 
sentiment in the Midwest that the cityreceives more than a fair share of the 
nation's wealth, he explains: "'New York [was] merely one of the fruits of that 
great tree whoseroots go down in the Mississippi Valley, and whose branches 
spreadfrom one ocean to the other... [But] the big apple [New York] gets 
adisproportionate share of the national sap.' " (Irving Lewis Allen,City in Slang 
[Oxford University Press, 1995], p. 62)"
  
"The Big Apple" took on a different connotation when it was madepopular in 
the 1920's by the New York Morning Telegraph sports writerJohn J. FitzGerald. He 
heard it used by African-American stable handsat the racetrack in New Orleans 
when referring to New York's racingscene which they considered the "big 
time." FitzGerald liked thephrase so much he titled his racing column "Around the 
Big Apple." Inthe introduction to his column from the February 18, 1924 
issueFitzGerald writes: "The Big Apple. The dream of every lad that everthrew a leg 
over a thoroughbred and the goal of all horsemen. There'sonly one Big Apple. 
That's New York."(extract from The Museum of the City of New York) 
http://www.yaelf.com/questions.shtml  
  
 Dear Word Detective: Why is New York City called "the Big Apple"? "...It was 
still unclear where FitzGerald got "Big Apple," however,until Barry Popik, a 
remarkably persistent New York City slanghistorian, took up the search. Popik 
discovered that in 1924FitzGerald had written that he first heard the term 
from stable handsin New Orleans, who referred to New York racetracks as "the Big 
Apple"-- the goal of every trainer and jockey in the horse racing world...."
http://www.word-detective.com/101797.html  

Why is New York City called the "Big Apple"?: by Heather Klein.Racing, jazz 
musicians and a tourism campaign all play a part."In the early 1920s, "apple" 
was used in reference to the many racingcourses in and around New York City. 
Apple referred to the prizesbeing awarded for the races -- as these were 
important races, therewards were substantial.
"...Popik found that a writer for the New York Morning Telegraph, 
JohnFitzgerald, referred to New York City's races "Around the Big Apple."It is rumored 
that Fitzgerald got the term from jockeys and trainersin New Orleans who aspired 
to race on New York City tracks, referringto the "Big Apple.""In the late 
1920s and early 1930s, New York City's jazz musiciansbegan referring to New York 
City as the "Big Apple." An old saying inshow business was 'There are many 
apples on the tree, but only one BigApple.'..."
A 1971 campaign to increase tourism to New York City adopted the BigApple as 
an officially recognized reference to New York City...""In recognition of 
Fitzgerald, the corner of 54th & Broadway, whereFitzgerald lived for 30 years, was 
renamed "Big Apple Corner" in1997."
http://gonyc.about.com/cs/atozinde1/a/bigapple.htm 

The New York Historical Society:Why is New York called The Big Apple?"Credit 
for New York's popular nickname can be traced toAfrican-American stable-hands 
working the horseracing tracks in NewOrleans. They were overheard by New York 
racing writer John J.FitzGerald in 1920 saying they were heading for 'The Big 
Apple.'"http://www.nyhistory.org/nyhsqa.html     


I enjoyed finding this for you. If you have any questions, please posta 
clarification request before closing/rating my answer and I'll behappy to reply.  

Thank you,
hummer  

Google Search Terms Used:   origin "big apple"  


Comments        
    
Subject: Re: Manhattan nickname 
From: pafalafa-ga on 09 Oct 2004 19:24 PDT      
As a New Yorker born and bred, I second the race-track connection,though I 
was always under the impression that Aqueduct Racetrack inQueens was commonly 
known in the racing world as the "Big A" and thatmorphed into the "Big Apple" 
for the track, and eventually came torefer to NYC itself.  The phrase might have 
been kicking around fordecades, but it didn't really pick up general use 
until sometimearound the 1970's from what I can recall.
  
Thanks for asking the question, and thanks to hummer-ga for a terrific 
answer.
  
pafalafa-ga 
  

Subject: Re: Manhattan nickname 
From: bapopik-ga on 16 Oct 2004 00:41 PDT       
It is not a terrific answer. Google Answers has fallen for the great"Big 
Apple Whore Hoax" once again! Peter Salwen has told anyone whoasks hum that it's a 
"spoof." This is the second time that GoogleAnswers has gotten it wrong.
  
I my research with professor Gerald Cohen- accepted by the mayor, 
citycouncil, New-York Historical Society, Museum of the City of NY, andEncyclopedia of 
New York City - on my web site, www.barrypopik.com. Itis the most definitive 
answer to this "Big Apple" question, yet Googlecan't find it!In honor of John J. 
Fitz Gerald and the horseracing origins of "theBig Apple," I passed "Big Apple 
Corner" into law and dedicated it in1997.
  
Please, Google Answers, never mention the whores again!
  
Barry Popik
www.barrypopik.com  

  

Subject: Re: Manhattan nickname 
From: bapopik-ga on 16 Oct 2004 01:21 PDT       
Sorry for the typos. That should be "asks him" and "I put my research."
  
By the way, how come I am mentioned by name in the top results for this 
"origin 'Big Apple'" search, but my web site (over 25,000 hits inabout three 
months) doesn't come up?
  
Barry Popik