Word of the Day

: September 26, 2009

tenderloin

noun TEN-der-loyn

What It Means

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

tenderloin in Context

"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.