Barry Popik (born 1961) is an American etymologist. Popik is a consulting editor of the ''Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America'' and was described in ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' as "the restless genius of American etymology".

Early life and education

Popik was born and raised in

Rockland County, New York Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of ...

, in 1961, to Silvia Stahl and Sidney Popik. He was educated at

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

, in

Troy, New York Troy is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Huds ...

, graduating with a B.S. in economics in 1982 and a B.S. in management in 1982. He received a J.D. from

Touro Law School Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, commonly known as Touro Law Center, is an ABA accredited law school. It is located on Long Island, New York, in the hamlet of Central Islip. The Law Center is part of Touro University, a private ...

Huntington, New York The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. ...

, in 1985.

Career

Popik is a contributor-consultant to the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...

'', ''

Dictionary of American Regional English The ''Dictionary of American Regional English'' (''DARE'') is a record of American English as spoken in the United States, from its beginnings to the present. It differs from other dictionaries in that it does not document the standard language u ...

'', '' Historical Dictionary of American Slang'' and ''

The Yale Book of Quotations ''The Yale Book of Quotations'' is a quotations collection focusing on modern and American quotations. Edited by Fred R. Shapiro, it was published by Yale University Press in 2006 with a foreword by Joseph Epstein, . Prior to publication it was re ...

''. Popik's theory on the etymology of "

Big Apple "The Big Apple" is a nickname for New York City. It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sportswriter for the '' New York Morning Telegraph''. Its popularity since the 1970s is due in part to a promotional campaign by th ...

" — that it was first popularized in the 1920s by sports writer

John J. Fitz Gerald John Joseph Fitz Gerald (March 7, 1893 – March 17, 1963) was a turf racing writer for the ''New York Morning Telegraph'', from 1912 to 1940 (except for his service in World War I), serving as turf editor for the last 15 years. He was lat ...

— led to the New York City street corner where Fitz Gerald lived being renamed "Big Apple Corner".

Political career

Popik was the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

and

Liberal Party of New York The Liberal Party of New York is a political party in New York. Its platform supports a standard set of socially liberal policies, including abortion rights, increased spending on education, and universal health care. History The Liberal Part ...

candidate for election as Manhattan Borough president in 2005. He received more than 40,000 votes and finished second to Scott Stringer, who received more than 200,000 votes. Popik was a law judge with the Parking Violations Bureau of the city's Department of Finance.

Personal life

Popik met his wife Angie Garcia, a political strategist, while running for Manhattan Borough president in 2005. They married shortly afterward and moved to

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, in September 2006, and had two children. After seven years in Austin, the family moved back to New York.

Publications

;Author * * ;Consulting editor * (Senior Consulting Editor) * (Consulting Editor)

References

;Notes

External links

Barry Popik's website, The Big Apple
{{DEFAULTSORT:Popik, Barry 1961 births Living people Etymologists People from Rockland County, New York People from Austin, Texas Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni