Green’s Dictionary of Slang

-city sfx

also -town
[SE city; note Gold, A Jazz Lexicon (1964): ‘according to jazzmen, first used by either Lester Young or Emmett Barry c. 1938’]

(orig. US) a general sfx suggesting a concrete or abstract concentration, defined as a supposed place and delineated by the qualifying n.

[US]‘Marienne’ ‘Solid Meddlin’ in People’s Voice (NY) 7 Mar. 33/1: Saw the ace sepia queen of Flicker City.
[US]C. Cooper Jr Scene (1996) 88: I was born right here in Dope City.
[US]‘Tom Pendleton’ Iron Orchard (1967) 138: Looked like fer a minute that you and stud-duck was goin’ to fist city.
[US]L. Bruce Essential Lenny Bruce 108: Into the shithouse. Forget-it city.
[US]J. Lahr Hot to Trot 222: We’re in Muff City and you’re talking literature.
[US]J. Webb Fields of Fire (1980) 129: The Bridge was a skating place [...] tents and cots. Sit-down shitters. Skate City.
[US]A. Maupin Tales of the City (1984) 19: Hot damn. This place is Pickup City tonight.
[US]E. Torres After Hours 15: No money either. Gone city.
[US]S. King Christine 2: His glandular machinery had gone totally bananas. I mean, Arnie was pimple city.
[Aus]R.G. Barrett Godson 170: ‘Friday night in Yurriki. Boogie city, ain’t it?’.
[US]‘Joe Bob Briggs’ Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In 21: I know what you’re thinking. Wimp City.
[US](con. early 1950s) J. Ellroy L.A. Confidential 125: Coates, Tremor City – all twitches, soaked denim.
[US]S. Morgan Homeboy 84: Hey, enough’s enough, it’s all about Boink City.
[US]D. Gaines Teenage Wasteland 228: Ruthie is in panic city.
[US]J. Wambaugh Finnegan’s Week 264: Man, my life’s become totally fucking amazing! I am in titty city, dude! I am gonna live in a meadow of meth!
[UK]N. Barlay Curvy Lovebox 186: It’s Kickback City where the only rule is to kick back.
[US]Source Oct. 158: The scuttlebutt in Heroin City was that Nigerian couriers were bringing heroin into America.
[UK](con. 1977) D. Peace Nineteen seventy-seven 9: So it’s a cosh from the butt of the shotgun and welcome to heart attack city.
[US](con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 206: De Ridder was shit city [...] Chicken-fried-steak joints and rib cribs.
[US]J. Lerner You Got Nothing Coming 235: Sorry, O.G., but I ain’t tryin’ to catch nothin’ from snitch city.
[US]G. Tate Midnight Lightning 81: We had a total breakdown. It was like breakdown city.
[US]J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 127: It was Bug City. Bug mounts, bug mikes, bug trasceivers and cords.