ninth island

n. Las Vegas; (occas.) any place outside of Hawaii with a large number of Hawaiians. Subjects: English, United States, Hawaii, Nevada, Colloquial

Etymological Note: Reference to the large number of Hawaiians who have relocated to Las Vegas. Eight major islands make up the state of Hawaii.

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Citations: 1996 [kinimoor@ix.netcom.com(Gene E. Moore)] Usenet: alt.culture.hawaii (June 9) “14 more Days!”: Leaving Santa Cruz (Hawaii’s 9th Island) Sat. the 23rd to stay over night near the airport. 2000 Ronelle Botwinik Las Vegas Review-Journal (Jan. 27) “Activities and events in Las Vegas” p. 2E: A lecture on “Hawaiian Spirituality on the Ninth Island” will be presented from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Spring Valley Library, 4280 S. Jones Blvd. (391-7416). 2000 [uw8@lvdi.net] Usenet: alt.music.hawaiian (Mar. 4) “Fiji Ticket giveaway…”: Aloha2go.com aims to make Vegas the REAL 9th Island by bringing you the Best bands from back home. 2002 Bruce Dunford @ Honolulu, Hawaii (AP) (May 8) “Hawaii governor slips off to Las Vegas to promote Hawaii products expo”: Gov. Ben Cayetano has slipped off to Las Vegas to participate in the kickoff of the Great Ninth Island Expo, a three-day event to display made-in-Hawaii gifts and products. 2003 Irene Lechowitzky San Diego Union-Tribune (California) (Oct. 12) “Hawaiians flock to California Hotel for island comforts in the desert” p. D1: “It’s poi,” he laughed. This was one of the reasons Bob came to the California Hotel, aka Hawaii’s ninth island. “Try some? The saimin noodles are also good.” 2004 Ken Ritter @ Las Vegas, Nev. AP (Nov. 23) “Vegas Becoming Hawaii’s ‘Ninth Island’”: Joel and Melodi Kekauoha began hearing the term “ninth island” when their flight from Honolulu descended over the Nevada desert toward the lights of the Las Vegas Strip. They learned the meaning later that morning, when they bumped into a neighbor from their hometown of Kaneohe, which is on Oahu, one of Hawaii’s eight islands. Suddenly, Las Vegas seemed awfully familiar.

Posted 24 Nov 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend