The term 'Big Apple Nickname' is a reference to the nickname of New York City, which is 'Gotham' (6 letters). The term 'Gotham' was first used in the early 1800s by Washington Irving in his satirical work, Salmagundi. Since then, it has been used to refer to New York City and its inhabitants. The term 'Big Apple' was popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph. He used the term to refer to the city's horse racing scene, and it eventually became a popular nickname for the city.