goulash, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

goulash n.

[? bridge use goulash, a re-deal of unshuffled cards after the hands have been thrown in without bidding; thus fig., a mess]

1. a fool.

1929

E. Dahlberg Bottom Dogs 65: Mush Tate was argufying with Prunes, Shrimp, Spunk, and all the goulashes, he said, in the wardrobe, put together.

2. (US) nonsense.

1929		E. Dahlberg Bottom Dogs 63: He was a lot of goulash anyway, and full of bull.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 85/2: Goulash. Misleading information to thieves; a garbled tip.
1989		H. Rawson Dict. of Invective (1991) 33: goulash. Another stew; specifically, among criminals, false information.

3. (UK Und.) prison stew (which is not goulash), also as in any institution.

1929		E. Dahlberg Bottom Dogs 53: [orphanage] Monday was a bad day; they got goulash, one slice of bread, no butter.
1988		J. Healy Grass Arena (1990) 81: I asked him if the nick grub had improved. ‘Still the same goulash and porridge then?’.

In compounds

goulash house (n.)

(US) an after-hours nightclub.

1991

B. McCarthy Vice Cop 118: A ‘goulash house’ was a place that would have drinks and gambling and women. That was the old Mafia term for the after-hours clubs [...] Very heavy people inside’.