"The Big Apple" -- one more incorrect etymology

[Laurence Horn]

On Dec 21, 2013, at 2:17 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:

> At 12/21/2013 10:30 AM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
>>
>> On Dec 21, 2013, at 10:12 AM, Cohen, Gerald Leonard wrote:
>>
>> > Barry Popik has informed me of one more
>> incorrect etymology for "The Big Apple". He
>> writes about it on his website (barrypopik.com),
>> > and I now forward his item to ads-l. Btw,
>> anyone familiar with New York City knows that
>> the suggestion of an apple tree growing
>> > on every street is nonsense.
>>
>> You do realize that this "etymology" is proposed
>> by Ron Burgundy, yes?  (Or at least by someone
>> in his biopic, which I confess I haven't seen;
>> I'm not sure what to infer from the wording
>> below--"it's explained".)  I think this is a
>> different category from the seriously proposed
>> (or even seriously bluffed) explanations
>> invoking Eve's Apples house of prostitution or∑I
>> seem to have repressed the other suggestions
>> that have appeared in at least purportedly
>> serious print.  A debunking is hardly in order here.
>
> Except of the Tweeters?  I get the impression
> from Barry 's posting that many of them take it
> as true, although there isn't enough text to prove that.
>
> Joel

Yes, but when Putin's cronies retail articles from The Onion as evidence for something or other, we don't necessarily feel the need to debunk them.  Or maybe we do. I suppose Ron Burgundy may be seen as following in the tradition of Borat, who I seem to recall was taken seriously in some quarters, and not only Kazakh ones.

LH
>
>
>> LH
>> >
>> > Gerald Cohen
>> > co-author (with Barry Popik), _Origin of New
>> York City's Nickname "The Big Apple"_ ,  2nd
>> edition, 2011 (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang).
>> > P.S. Popik's extraordinary website (a true
>> labor of love) now contains over 10,000 entries.
>> >
>> > [Item posted on barrypopik.com]:
>> >
>> > Entry from December 20, 2013
>> >
>> > An Apple Tree on Every Street (2013 movie explanation)
>> >
>> >
>> > In the comedy film Anchorman 2: The Legend
>> Continues (2013), television news anchorman Ron
>> Burgundy (played by actor Will Ferrell) takes a
>> job with e 24-hour news channel in New York
>> City. It‚s explained that New York City is
>> called the „Big Apple‰ because there‚s an apple tree on every street.
>> >
>> > This is not true, of course.
>> >
>> >
>> > Wikipedia: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
>> > Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is a 2013
>> American comedy film, and the sequel to the
>> 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron
>> Burgundy. As with the original film, it is
>> directed by Adam McKay, produced by Judd
>> Apatow, written by McKay and Will Ferrell, and
>> stars Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David
>> Koechner, and Christina Applegate all reprising
>> their roles from the first film. Anchorman 2:
>> The Legend Continues is distributed by
>> Paramount Pictures. The film was released on
>> December 18, 2013 to positive reviews.
>> >
>> > Plot
>> > With the 70s behind him, San Diego‚s top
>> rated newsman, Ron Burgundy, returns to take
>> New York‚s first 24-hour news channel by storm.
>> >
>> > Twitter
>> > cole santa
>> > â•∂@colestewart4
>> > „Whys it called the big apple?‰ „Because
>> there is an apple tree on every street‰
>> > 11:52 PM - 17 Dec 13
>> >
>> > Twitter
>> > jack lame
>> > â•∂@alrightcoool
>> > „They call it the big apple because there‚s an apple tree on every street.‰
>> > „That‚s a fact. Google it.‰
>> > „Is it really?‰
>> > „No.‰ @versusshae
>> > 4:00 PM - 18 Dec 13
>> >
>> > theVINE
>> > ANTHONY MORRIS Wednesday 18 Dec 2013 - 9:30 AM
>> > Anchorman 2: The Legend Of Dumb Jokes Continues
>> > (...)
>> > Our story begins – well, it begins with Ron
>> about to be eaten by a shark, but we‚re getting
>> ahead of ourselves. It‚s the 80s, and Ron (Will
>> Ferrell) and his now wife Veronica Corningstone
>> (Christina Applegate) are husband and wife
>> newsreaders in the Big Apple (so named because
>> there‚s an apple tree on every corner – and if you look closely, it‚s true!).
>> >
>> > Twitter
>> > Robbie Panasuk
>> > â•∂@PimpDaddyPan
>> > Why do they call it the big apple? Well I
>> believe it‚s because there‚s an apple tree on the corner of every street.
>> > 10:36 AM - 18 Dec 13
>> >
>> > Twitter
>> > Taylor Bear
>> > â•∂@taymac98
>> > Jack thought that there was an apple tree on
>> every street in New York and that was why it was called the big apple∑
>> > 3:03 PM - 20 Dec 13
>> >
>> > Twitter
>> > Dale Duignan
>> > â•∂@daledegz
>> > According to anchorman New York is called the
>> big apple cos there is an apple tree on every street
>> > 7:19 PM - 20 Dec 13
>> >
>> > Posted by Barry Popik
>> > New York City  The Big Apple 
>> 1970s-present: False Etymologies  Friday, December 20, 2013  Permalink
>> >
>> > ------------------------------------------------------------
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>>
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>
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