Big Apple
Although the history of "Big Apple " was once thought a mystery, a clearer picture of the term's history has emerged due to the work of amateur etymologist Barry Popik, and Gerald Cohen of Missouri University of Science and Technology. A number of false theories had previously existed, including a claim that the term derived from a woman named Eve who ran a brothel in the city. This was subsequently exposed as a hoax.
List of nicknames of New York City
New York City is frequently shortened to simply "New York", "NY", or "NYC". New York City is also known as "The City" or "The Big City" in much of the eastern United States. Other monikers have the form of "Baghdad on the Subway" or "Hong Kong on the Hudson," a reference in different cases to the city's prominence or its immigrant groups.