Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a derog. term for a Jew.

1932		(con. 1910s) J.T. Farrell Young Lonigan in Studs Lonigan (1936) 128: I’m pretty tired of sockin’ Jewbabies.
1939		P. Di Donato Christ in Concrete 161: Hey, Jew baby, what’s yer name?
1955		(con. 1925) H. Robbins A Stone for Danny Fisher 19: Okay, Jew-baby, go get him!
2006		C. Carr Our Town 84: ‘Are you a Jewbaby?’ [Ibid.] 88: You come up and say, ‘I’m writing a book.’ They’ll go, ‘I don’t give a fuck, you fuckin’ Jewbaby.’.

see bagel n. (1)

insufficient bail.

1781		G. Parker View of Society II 23: Moses at his going out of Court, meets another Brother-Jew, to whom he returns the pocket book, and so the Bail is justified; and is what is called Jew-Bail.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Jew bail, insufficient bail, commonly Jews, who for a sum of money will bail any action whatsoever, and justify, that is, swear to their sufficiency, but when called on, are not to be found.
a.1790		C. Dibdin ‘The Maid of the Skylight’ in Collection of Songs I 117: Pris’ner, judge, and jew-bail ’gainst each other did squeeze.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.

(US) an electric-powered vehicle.

1936

J.T. Farrell World I Never Made 5: The cars that Bill calls jewboxes, electrics? [Ibid.] 196: Horses went cloppety clop, and jewboxes sort of just squeaked, and automobiles went put-put-put.

(US) goose or chicken dripping.

1889–90		Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1979		Maledicta III:2 164: Jew butter n [I Hear 1889] Goose grease; from its popularity as a spread among Jews.

1. (US, also Jewish submarine) a Cadillac.

1967		S. Katz Negro and Jew 77: So the view of ‘Goldberg’ riding around in his ‘Jew canoe,’ as a Cadillac is called by some Negroes in Los Angeles [etc.].
1973		Kinky Friedman ‘Flyin’ down the Freeway’ 🎵 Flyin’ down the freeway / Jettin’ down to L.A., it sets me free / Going back to nature in my Jew canoe / Flyin’ down the freeway all the way with you.
1976		P. Conroy Great Santini (1977) 349: ‘See you back at the Jew canoe.’ ‘Wait a minute. That’s Junior Palmer’s prowl car.’ [Ibid.] 420: They also call this car ‘Sammy’s Jewish Submarine’.
1977		(con. 1949) J.G. Dunne True Confessions (1979) 243: I thought a Jew would want a Cadillac at least [...] A Jew canoe, that’s what they call a Cadillac, you know.
1997		R. Olson 🌐 Guess what my first car was? A 69’ Cadillac! It had a few loving nicknames such as the ‘Jew Canoe’ and the ‘Party Boat’. It got a whopping 8 miles to the gallon, and I ran out of gas 13 times in it!
2001		L.A. Times 30 June 🌐 I wondered if I could stand days on end with this couple, who were deeply religious (which I am not), politically conservative (which I am not), perhaps anti-semitic (Jim described his aging Cadilac as a Jew Canoe).

2. (UK society, also Jew’s canoe) a Jaguar.

1982		Barr & York Sloane Ranger Hbk 158: Jew’s canoe n. Jaguar.
1989		Gordon & Hughes Best Short Stories 1989 110: [...] sitting up like a little girl in the front seat of his old Jaguar, which she ticked him off for referring to as his Jew’s-canoe.
1993–2002		Probert Encyc. 🌐 Jew’s canoe is British slang for a Jaguar or other large car.

(US) any form of cheque that is obtained through fraud, e.g. on Social Security.

1995

(con. 1985–90) P. Bourjois In Search of Respect 103: Veterans’ checks, pensions, social security, welfare, Jew checks [...] You know, Jews be into crazy scams, making money with papers . . . you know, insurance, real estate, shit like that.

see Jewish flag under Jewish adj.

ham.

1937–84

Partridge DSUE (1984) 618/1: C.20.

see Jack the Jew n.

(US) a second-hand clothes store.

1979

Maledicta III:2 164: Jew joint n Cheap or secondhand clothing store.

a Jaguar motorcar.

1968		(ref. to 1930s) Penthouse IV 17/2: There were charges of flashiness and there were gibes – those were Moseleyite days – about the ‘Jew’s Bentley’ (Lord Montagu of Beaulieu politely renders this as ‘the Bentleys of Wardour Street’).
1970		G.M. Williams Upper Pleasure Garden 135: Most men he met were anti-semitic in a lethargic sort of way. If they said a person was driving a Jew’s Rolls Royce you knew they meant a Jaguar.
1972		M. Wiggin Faces at the Window 75: Don was the first among us to own the new-fangled Jaguar or Jew’s Bentley.
1979		M. Korda Charmed Lives 191: A Jaguar sedan (known among chauffeurs as ‘the Jew’s Bentley’).
1998		D. Thoms et al. Motor Car and Popular Culture 181: It is in this context that [the Jaguar] gathered the unfortunate sobriquet of the ‘Jew’s Bentley’.

see Jew canoe

1. (also Judische compliment) of a man, having a large penis but no money or presents [the premise is that the penis is free, but to the stereotypically mean Jew, giving presents involves losing money].

1890–1904

Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues IV 78/2: Judische (or Jew’s) compliment, subs. (venery). – Lots of prick but no money.

2. (gay, also Jewish compliment) a circumcised penis.

1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 118: Jewish compliment (kwn LV, mid ’60s) a circumcised cock.
1986–7		Maledicta IX 58: Jewish compliment n [R] Circumcised penis; homosexual slang.

see separate entry.

(US) covering one’s face with talcum powder instead of shaving.

1966		K. Porter ‘Still More Ethnic and Place names as Derisive Adjectives’ Western Folklore XXV:1 38: Jew shave, Covering an unshaven face with talcum powder. Boston, early 1930’s.
1979		Maledicta III:2 164: Jew shave n [Porter early 1930s] Covering an unshaven face with talcum powder.

(gay) an account, often imaginary, of money that has been lent to friends.

1986–7

Maledicta IX 57: Jew sheet n [R] Account, often imaginary, of money lent to friends.

(gay) a Jewish circumcised penis.

1986–7

Maledicta IX 58: Jew’s lance n [L] Jewish circumcised penis.

the gentile who, in religious households, is brought in to light the fires on the Sabbath.

1891		Lloyd’s Weekly 17 May 11/ 4: Deceased used to get her living lighting the Jew’s fires on Saturdays. She was what is known as a Jew’s poker [F&H].
1899		R. Whiteing No. 5 John Street 210: ‘Does the Jew’s Poker, Saturdays,’ says Low Covey, ‘though it’s a poor lay summertime’ [...] A Jew’s Poker is a Christian person who attends to Jewish fires on the Sabbath-day.

see Jew’s Bentley

a cash register.

[1929		High Pressure Pete [cartoon strip] Typewriter!! Fer cryin’ out loud! I thought it was th’ cash register!].
1935		Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 6: Jew’s typewriter: Cash register.
1977		D. Powis Signs of Crime 189: Jew’s typewriter Ironic term for a cash register.

see beanie n.¹ (4)

see separate entry.

see separate entry.

see separate entry.

a Jewish street-seller.

1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.

see separate entry.

(US) a Jewish community within an urban area.

1891		J.A. Riis How the Other Half Lives 56: Bayard Street is the high road to Jewtown [...] picketed from end to end with the outposts of Israel. Hebrew faces, Hebrew signs, and incessant chatter in the queer lingo that passes for Hebrew on the East Side attend the curious wanderer.
1916		Bogalusa Enterprise (LA) 27 Apr. 5/5: Lost, Strayed or Stolen - One gray mare from Jew Town.
1949		I. Shulman Cry Tough! 13: In any of the hundreds of slum neighborhoods: in Jewtown, Micktown, Woptown, Hunkytown, Niggertown.
1955		R. Graziano Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) 53: Jews from Jew Town.
1969		R.L. Keiser Vice Lords 1: The Cobras had originally started in the [...] area of Chicago’s Near West Side known as ‘Jew Town’.
1974		J. Charyn Marilyn The Wild (2003) 37: They run home to Jewtown so they can eat their kosher baloney.
1986–7		Maledicta IX 58: Jew Town n [C] Jewish community within an urban area.

see separate entry.