Why Is New York City Called "The Big Apple"?

Why Is New York City Called "The Big Apple"?

Why Is New York City Called "The Big Apple"?

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Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 5 to 7
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	7.14

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		credible, provided, origin, vendors, jazz, supposedly, horseracing, nightclub, circuit, version, upcoming, practically, phrase, sensible, public, revive
	content words:		Big Apple, New York, Straight Dope, Cecil Adams, New York City, Savoy Ballroom, Barry Popik, New York Telegraph, John J., Fitz Gerald

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Why Is New York City Called "The Big Apple"?
By Joyce Furstenau

¹     "The Big Apple" is a phrase that has been used to describe the city of New York since the early 1920's. Several stories of the start of this phrase exist. They come from a variety of sources. All of them are sensible, but we will probably never be able to agree on its actual origin.

²     One version of the origins of "The Big Apple" was reported in a 1977 newspaper column called "The Straight Dope" written by Cecil Adams. He reported that the phrase got its start in show business circles. The quote was: "There are many apples on the tree, but only one 'Big Apple.'" This reference supposedly was made by jazz musicians comparing a show in New York City as the biggest opportunity of all.

³     It also may have been a reference to the apple vendors on the sidewalks of New York during the Depression. The "Big Apple" was also the name of a popular nightclub in Harlem. The Big Apple was also a jitterbug-style group dance that originated in the South. It became a huge hit at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom.

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