# " The Appy Place "

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 11, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493 "2003-08-11T22:19:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/1 "2003-08-11T22:19:01Z")

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My local supermarket deli calls itself “The Appy Place”.

The other deli in the other supermarket does too.

They do it in Philly. Is this some kind of Illuminati inside lingo? What does Appy stand for, and why does it apply to Delicatessen meats and cheeses and salads?

This, I must know. Don’t let me down. 🙂

Cartooniverse

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**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/2 "2003-08-11T22:22:57Z")

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Maybe they left off the CR on purpose?

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**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/3 "2003-08-11T22:47:28Z")

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“The Appy Place” is the hospital or operating room where appendectomies are performed.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/4 "2003-08-11T23:13:12Z")

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An Appy a day keeps the Octor away.

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**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/5 "2003-08-12T00:25:16Z")

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Appetizers, perhaps?

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**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/6 "2003-08-12T01:18:48Z")

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I thought the Appy Place was a nice cabin in the Appalachian mountains.

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**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/7 "2003-08-12T01:34:08Z")

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Do they sell applications for both Mac and PC?

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**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/8 "2003-08-12T01:45:17Z")

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I figured it was a breeding farm for appaloosas. Maybe they’re \*serving \*appaloosas???

StG

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**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/9 "2003-08-12T18:25:53Z")

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I look for the Straight Dope, I get Burns and Allen.

Nice…  
😛

Keep ‘em comin’, people.

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**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/10 "2003-08-12T18:33:52Z")

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Are you sure there’s no apostrophe in front of the A? As in, “the 'appy place,” or “happy place?”

Barring that, it appears that “appy” is a term used widely to refer to horses. Ick.

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**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/11 "2003-08-12T19:07:01Z")

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Look, I love Liverwurst on marble Rye with a thick slathering of mayo as much as the next red-blooded European Jew, but that doesn’t mean it’s a Happy Place.  
Does it?

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**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/12 "2003-08-13T20:18:01Z")

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'appy would be an abrieviation of happy … I suppose it’s like all those pubs that someone thinks it’s funny to call The Dew Drop Inn …

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**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/13 "2003-08-13T21:42:09Z")

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You mean you never heard of Mort Appy, Inventor of the Deli?? :eek:

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**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/14 "2003-08-13T22:56:48Z")

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Okay, tell me I’m not the first one to go off and Google to determine whether or not FCM’s pulling our legs or not…

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**Author:** ![Daniel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Daniel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/15 "2003-08-13T23:02:42Z")

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I assumed it was specific to A&P groceries … you know, kind of trying to spell “A&P” phoenetically and coming up with the cutesy “Appy”.

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**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/16 "2003-08-14T02:19:11Z")

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Hey! I can actually answer this one!

“Appy” is short for “Appetizing.” The word "Appetizing is actually a noun in this case, referring to stuff sold at a deli.

I googled to confirm and came up with this thread from [a board called eGullet](http://forums.egullet.com/index.php?act=ST&f=1&t=3296&st=0)

> [@](#):
>
> “Appetizing” is the noun used to describe anything that is carried by a store which is basically in the business of selling smoked fish. All the ancilaries to smoked fish are part of the description.

This certainly is consistent with my experience. I’m a New York Jew who grew up surrounded by other New York Jews. Lox and other smoked fish items were commonly purchased at the supermarket deli–preferably Waldbaum’s. (Well, that’s the way we did things until God gave us Costco.) Back in the day, the supermarket deli didn’t stock such a huge selection of stuff as it does now, so the smoked fish had a comparatively larger role. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the term “Appetizing” came to refer to the deli department as a whole.

I don’t recall ever hearing anyone actually call deli items “appetizing,” but I always knew that “Appetizing” meant deli and that “Appy” was short for it.

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**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/17 "2003-08-14T11:54:09Z")

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Dang, girl. That was a posting worthy of **Unca Cecil** himself. Thank you. I read pretty far down in that [eGullet.com](http://eGullet.com) thread, learning a lot about both Appetizing and hubris in general. ( That guy Steve needs some professional help 😉 ).

This sure feels like the Straight Dope answer to me. Thank you **Greenbean**. I must admit, down in Philly, they mebbe don’t use such fancy woids? You want good deli? You go over to the Northeasee, on Krewestown to Famous Deli and get some. 😃 ( Grown men used to taste the corned beef and sit in their cars, weeping. Such a taste ! Oye ! ;j )

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**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/18 "2003-08-14T11:55:34Z")

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\*\* That should have read **Northeast**. I’ve no idea if the goils are any easier on the Northeasee than they are on American Street in Fishtown… :eek: \*\*

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**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/19 "2003-08-14T12:02:20Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by scout1222 \*  
> \*\*Okay, tell me I’m not the first one to go off and Google to determine whether or not FCM’s pulling our legs or not… \*\*

It’s my honest face - gets 'em every time! 😃

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**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-appy-place/194493/20 "2003-08-14T15:05:32Z")

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Huh. I thought it only ShopRite that was “The Appy Place”. I also wondered what it meant. Thanks, **GreenBean**.
