tenderloin

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 26, 2009 is: tenderloin • \TEN-der-loyn\ • noun 1 : a strip of tender meat consisting of a large internal muscle of the loin on each side of the vertebral column 2 : a district of a city largely devoted to vice Examples: "Unlike old Saigon, a raucous wartime tenderloin of bars and nightclubs, Orange County is quiet -- except on Saturday nights…." (Stanley Karnow, Smithsonian, August 1992) Did you know? A tenderloin, of course, is a juicy and tasty cut of meat. In the late 19th century, however, "Tenderloin" saw use as a nickname for the neighborhood of midtown Manhattan, west of Broadway and below 42nd Street. This district, which contained numerous bordellos, gambling houses, and watering holes, alongside theaters and hotels, became a hotbed of corruption -- and, it was alleged by some, blackmail by police. The notion of dishonest law enforcers being able to afford a nice meal off activity in this district is believed to have given the Tenderloin its name. Soon the term was applied to similarly seedy districts in other cities. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.