Jerusalem adj.
a euph. for damned adj.
Clockmaker III 153: It’s capital that: it’s a Jerusalem bright thought. | ||
Twenty Below Act II: You’re a Jerusalem marvel, you are! |
Proper name in slang uses
Pertaining to Jews or Judaism, usu. stereotyped
In compounds
(US) a tomato.
Jeffersonian Republican (Stroudsburg, PA) 25 Jan. 1/5: Tomato or Love Apple. this plan or vegetable, sometimes called Jerusalem Apple [...] was first found in South America. | ||
Ashtabula Wkly (OH) 5 Sept. 1/3: O! tomattuses. How good you are! [...] Folks used to sit you on the mantle pieces for ornament [...] and called you Jerusalem apples! | ||
News-Herald (Hillsboro, OH) 26 Jan. 1/3: in those days the ‘Love Apple’ or ‘Jerusalem Apple’ was an ornamental plant [...] and placed in window sills. | ||
St John’s Rev. (OR) 27 Aug. 2/4: Many years ago tomatoes were populaly known as‘love apples’ or ‘Jerusalem apples’. | ||
Watch Yourself Go By 10: Huh! Tomattisus! Never made to eat. They ain’t no good, no-way. Pap’s right. They’re called Jerusalem apples ’caus they wuz first planted by the Jews. |
sandals.
Campus Sl. Apr. 5: Jerusalem cruisers – sandals. |
(Irish) a Jew.
Ulysses 321: Ireland my nation says he (hoik! phthook!) never be up to those bloody (there’s the last of it) Jerusalem (ah!) cuckoos. |
General uses
a donkey.
Dict. of Cockney Rhy. Sl. | ||
DSUE (8th edn) 617: [...] ca. 1870–1930. |
a donkey.
(con. 1941) Gunner 126: ‘We oughta get one of them Jerusalem cuckoos for Father.’ ‘I don’t want no fucken donkey,’ Father snarled. |
(US) a donkey.
Und. Speaks. |
a donkey.
Sporting Mag. Apr. VI 55/1: A Jerusalem hobby (vulgarly called a jack-ass) race at Battle-bridge, for a Cheshire cheese. |
(US, Western) a comb.
Camps in the Rockies 382: Using the ‘Jerusalem Overtaker’ – as he calls the remnant of a toothcomb. |
a flea.
Le Slang. |
a donkey.
Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. | ||
Pierce Egan’s Life in London 8 Jan. 399/3: Miss Brockman was one morning riding on her Jerusalem pony, in her nankeen pelisse and green veil. | ||
Punch iii 168, col. 2: We saw a Jerusalem Pony in Clare market yesterday. | ||
Melbourne Punch 20 Nov. 3/3: ‘Proposals for a New Slang Dictionary’ [...] MOKE-Noun: a Jerusalem pony. | ||
, | Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. | |
(con. 1840s–50s) London Labour and London Poor I 28/1: Sometimes a party of two or three will be seen closely examining one of these ‘Jerusalem ponys,’ passing their hands down its legs. | ||
Belfast News Ltr 4 Apr. 4/9: According to Mr Tyler [...] ‘Welsh rabbit’ is a genuine slang term, founded upon the same principler which makes ‘Munzster pluims’ signify potatoes, and a ‘Jerusalem pony’ stand for a donkey. | ||
Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack 215: The proper thing is to have a real Jerusalem Pony, i.e. donkey. | ||
Dead Bird (Sydney) 8 Feb. 2/4: A hut containing a Jerusalem pony and a fine specimen of the chanticleeer [sic] or crowing cock. | ||
Fifty Years (2nd edn) I 318: We mounted our ‘Jerusalem ponies’ to ride down the zigzag path. |
(US tramp) Jesus Christ.
AS II:9 392: Ye mean t’ say that this here dingbat, Jerusalem Slim, feeds a train-load o’ stiffs on a hunk o’ dry punk and a can o’ minnies, and then has enough left over for eight-seven lumps? G’wan! — ye’re loco! | ‘Argot of the Vagabond’ in||
Laughing in the Jungle 208: Intellectual vagrants [...] derived satisfaction from referring to Jesus as ‘Jerusalem Slim’. |