What means "Big Apple" ?

Question

Please, help me to understand why New York is called this way.

I want know!!!

Ademar
São Paulo
Brasil

Answer 1

I applaud the effort to answer you in Spanish (though I assume you speak Portuguese)... and interestingly, its use of "La Gran MANZANA" may point out the REAL origins of this expression.

I believe the JAZZ explanation is actually the best -- and that the expression comes from New Orleans, based on a SPANISH expression. I will try to show why I think this is better than the explanation most people now give, because it actually EXPLAINS the expression!

I see that MOST of the people answering are just copying from the same couple of articles a view that was argued by Barry Popik and that most seem to accept as THE explanation.

But I have a problem with it. I assume that Popik's evidence is all correct, and that the term "Big Apple" WAS used by people at the horse tracks. But that does NOT explain why they would give it this specific name (why APPLE?) And it does not explain why jazz musicians ended up being some of the main people to use the expression in the 1930s

But there is a big clue in Popik's explanation. He relies on the writings of Fitzgerald, and Fitzgerald himself connects the people he heard it from with. . . New Orleans!

The New Orleans connection appears to be absolutely critical. It fits in very well with the long recognized use of the term "big apple" among New York jazz musicians of the 1930s (New Orleans roots!) The fact that the term's first clearly DOCUMENTED use was by people connected to the racetrack does NOT show us that the 'racetrack' application was where the expression itself began. Why could they not have borrowed it from New Orleans jazz musicians?
______


So who coined the phrase, and why? I believe John Ciardi and Robert Hendrickson offer the best explanation, one which fits in very well with the Fitzgerald and jazz musician stories.

The explanation is simple:

The word "manzana" in Spanish means either apple or 'built up block of houses, neighborhood'. Ciardi suggests that the slang expression 'manzana prinicipale' i.e., 'main/big apple [or apple orchard]' was thrown around in New Orleans, a city with some old Spanish roots and expressions, not just French

It's easy to see how such an expression might be picked up and used by folks in New Orleans to refer to some 'hot spot' where the MAIN action in a field (jazz, racing, whatever) was to be found --that was the place to be!

"In about 1910 jazz musicians there used it as a loose translation of the Spanish 'manzana principal,' the main 'apple orchard,' the main city block downtown, the place where all the action is." From the "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997)."
http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/21/messages/1121.html

see all the theories discussed on http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001232.html
(for Ciardi's view, see the Jerry Kreuscher emails)

Answer 2

It has to do with New York's history. In the thirties (Depression era) there were many apple vendors, also around this time Jazz music was really becoming popular in the city and a few nightclubs and an actual dance was named "the big apple". Originally "the big apple" just referred to New York's jazz scene but today it has become synonmous with the whole city.

Hope that helps.

Answer 3

In the early 1920s, "apple" was used in reference to the many racing courses in and around New York City. Apple referred to the prizes being awarded for the races -- as these were important races, the rewards were substantial.

Based on the research of Barry Popik, the use of "Big Apple" to refer to New York City became clearer. Popik found that a writer for the New York Morning Telegraph, John Fitzgerald, referred to New York City's races "Around the Big Apple." It is rumored that Fitzgerald got the term from jockeys and trainers in New Orleans who aspired to race on New York City tracks, referring to the "Big Apple."

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, New York City's jazz musicians began referring to New York City as the "Big Apple." An old saying in show business was "There are many apples on the tree, but only one Big Apple." New York City being the premier place to perform was referred to as the Big Apple.

Answer 4

Various accounts have traced the “Big Apple” expression to
Depression-Era sidewalk apple vendors, a Harlem night
club, and a popular 1930s dance known as the “Big Apple.”
One fanciful version even links the name with a notorious
19th-century procuress!
See - http://www.salwen.com/apple.html

In the early 1920s, "apple" was used in reference to the many racing courses in and around New York City. Apple referred to the prizes being awarded for the races -- as these were important races, the rewards were substantial.

Based on the research of Barry Popik, the use of "Big Apple" to refer to New York City became clearer. Popik found that a writer for the New York Morning Telegraph, John Fitzgerald, referred to New York City's races "Around the Big Apple." It is rumored that Fitzgerald got the term from jockeys and trainers in New Orleans who aspired to race on New York City tracks, referring to the "Big Apple."

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, New York City's jazz musicians began referring to New York City as the "Big Apple." An old saying in show business was "There are many apples on the tree, but only one Big Apple." New York City being the premier place to perform was referred to as the Big Apple.
See - http://gonyc.about.com/cs/atozinde1/a/bigapple.htm

Also see:
http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/Why_is_New_York_called_The_Big_Apple

Answer 5

The "Big Apple" is a nickname or alternate toponym for New York City never used by New Yorkers. Its popularity since the 1970s is due to a promotional campaign by the New York Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Its earlier origins are less clear.

One explanation cited by the New-York Historical Society and others is that it was first popularized by John Fitz Gerald, who first used it in his horse racing column in the New York Morning Telegraph in 1921, then further explaining its origins in his February 18, 1924 column. Fitz Gerald credited African-American stable-hands working at horseracing tracks in New Orleans:

Answer 6

I have included an excerpt from the link below.


http://gonyc.about.com/cs/atozinde1/a/bigapple.htm

Why is New York City called the "Big Apple"?
From Heather Cross,
Your Guide to New York City for Visitors.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Racing, jazz musicians and a tourism campaign all play a part.


This commonly asked question

got me wondering, why do we call New York City the Big Apple? While I've seen several apple trees in New York City, I don't particularly recall them as being in notable quantity -- there are certainly more pigeons than apples in New York City, but we don't call New York City the "Big Pigeon." As with anything New York, there are many opinions and contradictions.
In the early 1920s, "apple" was used in reference to the many racing courses in and around New York City. Apple referred to the prizes being awarded for the races -- as these were important races, the rewards were substantial.

Based on the research of Barry Popik, the use of "Big Apple" to refer to New York City became clearer. Popik found that a writer for the New York Morning Telegraph, John Fitzgerald, referred to New York City's races "Around the Big Apple." It is rumored that Fitzgerald got the term from jockeys and trainers in New Orleans who aspired to race on New York City tracks, referring to the "Big Apple."

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, New York City's jazz musicians began referring to New York City as the "Big Apple." An old saying in show business was "There are many apples on the tree, but only one Big Apple." New York City being the premier place to perform was referred to as the Big Apple.

Answer 7

The "Big Apple" is a nickname or alternate toponym for New York City never used by New Yorkers. Its popularity since the 1970s is due to a promotional campaign by the New York Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Its earlier origins are less clear.

One explanation cited by the New-York Historical Society and others is that it was first popularized by John Fitz Gerald, who first used it in his horse racing column in the New York Morning Telegraph in 1921, then further explaining its origins in his February 18, 1924 column. Fitz Gerald credited African-American stable-hands working at horseracing tracks in New Orleans:

The Big Apple. The dream of every lad that ever threw a leg over a thoroughbred and the goal of all horsemen. There's only one Big Apple. That's New York.

Two dusky stable hands were leading a pair of thoroughbred around the "cooling rings" of adjoining stables at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans and engaging in desultory conversation.

"Where y'all goin' from here?" queried one.
"From here we're headin' for The Big Apple", proudly replied the other.
"Well, you'd better fatten up them skinners or all you'll get from the apple will be the core", was the quick rejoinder.

In the 1920s the New York race tracks were the cream of the crop, so going to the New York races was a big treat, the prize, allegorically a Big Apple.

In 1997, as part of an official designation of "Big Apple Corner" in Manhattan, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani summarizes the rest of the story:

A decade later many jazz musicians began calling the City "The Big Apple" to refer to New York City (especially Harlem) as the jazz capital of the world. Soon the nickname became synonymous with New York City and its cultural diversity. In the early 1970s the name played an important role in reviving New York's tourist economy through a campaign led by the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau. Today the nickname "The Big Apple," which replaced "Fun City," is the international description of the city and is synonymous with the cultural and tourist attractions of New York City.
Therefore, it is only fitting that the southwest corner of West 54th Street and Broadway, the corner on which John J. Fitz Gerald resided from 1934 to 1963, be designated "Big Apple Corner".
According to PBS's Broadway: The American Musical miniseries, Walter Winchell used the term "Big Apple" to refer to the New York cultural scene, especially Harlem and Broadway, helping to spread the use of this nickname.

A documented earlier use comes from the 1909 book The Wayfarer in New York by Edward S. Martin. He wrote (regarding New York) that the rest of the United States "inclines to think the big apple gets a disproportionate share of the national sap."[1] Etymologists have been unable to trace any influence that this use had on the nickname's popularity.

Swing Musician Harry Gibson remembers in his autobiography that the phrase was used in the 1940's specifically in regard to Swing Street, which was a nickname for 52nd Street west of Broadway. If this is true, then Giuliani, in the above dedication ceremony, missed it by two blocks.

Answer 8

New york is made up of five boroughs it has several thousand people all speakin a diffrent language. Thats why it's called the Big Apple.

Answer 9

Why Is New York City Called "The Big Apple"?
"When and how did New York City come to be called "The Big
Apple'?"

This is by far the most frequently asked question—and the
most hotly debated—to reach our New York History Hotline.

There are actually several answers (nothing about New York
City is simple, after all). All are explained below, with the last
word going, appropriately enough, to SNYCH’s own Joe Zito,
one of this burg’s finest purveyors of high-quality urban history.
A veteran both of New York City’s inimitable press corps and its
police department, Joe—happily for us—is able to provide
authoritative first-hand testimony on this topic. Read on!

Various accounts have traced the “Big Apple” expression to
Depression-Era sidewalk apple vendors, a Harlem night
club, and a popular 1930s dance known as the “Big Apple.”
One fanciful version even links the name with a notorious
19th-century procuress!

In fact, it was the jazz musicians of the 1930s and ‘40s who put
the phrase into more or less general circulation. If a jazzman
circa 1940 told you he had a gig in the “Big Apple,” you knew
he had an engagement to play in the most coveted venue of all,
Manhattan, where the audience was the biggest, hippest, and
most appreciative in the country.

The older generation of jazzmen specifically credit Fletcher
Henderson, one of the greatest of the early Big Band leaders
and arrangers, with popularizing it, but such things are probably
impossible to document. Be that as it may, the ultimate source
actually was not the jazz world, but the racetrack.

As Damon Runyon (among many others) cheerfully pointed out,
New York in those days offered a betting man a lot of places to
go broke. There were no fewer than four major tracks nearby,
and it required no fewer than three racing journals to cover
such a lively scene—The Daily Racing Form (which still
survives on newsstands today) and The Running Horse and
The New York Morning Telegraph (which do not)—and the
ultimate credit for marrying New York to its durable catchphrase
goes to columnist John J. FitzGerald, who wrote for the
Telegraph for over 20 years.

Joe Zito, who joined the paper as a young man some 70-plus
years ago, recently reminisced about Jack FitzGerald and his
times.
In FitzGerald’s honor (and due largely to the strenuous efforts
of attorney-etymologist Barry Popick, who, like the columnist,
had migrated to NYC from upstate New York) a street sign
reading “Big Apple Corner” was installed at Broadway and
West 54th Street in 1997, near the hotel where FitzGerald died
in poverty in 1963—although a location near the old Telegraph
office might arguably have been a happier spot for it.

Despite its turf-related origins, by the 1930s and ’40s, the
phrase had become firmly linked to the city’s jazz scene. “Big
Apple” was the name both of a popular night club at West 135th
Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem and a jitterbug-style
group dance that originated in the South, became a huge
phenomenon at Harlem’s great Savoy Ballroom and rapidly
spread across the country. (Neat cultural footnote: the great
African-American cinema pioneer Oscar Micheaux liked to
use the Big Apple as a venue for occasional screenings of his
latest feature film or documentary.)

A film short called The Big Apple came out in 1938, with an all-
Black cast featuring Herbert “Whitey” White’s Lindy Hoppers,
Harlem’s top ballroom dancers in the Swing Era. In a book
published the same year, bandleader Cab Calloway used the
phrase "Big Apple" to mean "the big town, the main stem,
Harlem." Anyone who loved the city would have readily agreed
with Jack FitzGerald: “There's only one Big Apple. That's New
York."

The term had grown stale and was in fact generally forgotten by
the 1970s. Then Charles Gillett, head of the New York
Convention & Visitors Bureau, got the idea of reviving it.
The agency was desperately trying to attract tourists to the
town Mayor John Lindsay had dubbed “Fun City,” but which
had become better-known for its blackouts, strikes, street crime
and occasional riots. What could be a more wholesome symbol
of renewal than a plump red apple?

The city's industrial-strength “I ♥ NY” campaign was launched
toward the end of the Lindsay administration in 1971, complete
with a cheerful Big Apple logo in innumerable forms (lapel pins,
buttons, bumper stickers, refrigerator magnets, shopping bags,
ashtrays, ties, tie tacks, “Big Apple” T-shirts, etc.).

Apparently Gillett was on to something, because at this writing,
over 35 years later, the campaign he launched—it won him a
Tourism Achievement award in 1994, by the way—is still going
strong.

Answer 10

que significa La Gran Manzana, es el apodo de la ciudad de Nueva York. Este nombre lo utilizaron originalmente los musicos de jazz de los anos veinte, refiriendos al exito que podrian obtener en esta ciudad.

i cannot put accents on some of the words hope this helps