Green’s Dictionary of Slang

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American Tramp and Underworld Slang choose

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[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 17: Ace Note. – A one dollar bill.
at ace-note (n.) under ace, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 17: Ace in. – To secure one’s self or a friend the notice and favourable attention of some one in authority.
at ace in (v.) under ace, v.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 18: Air. — Loose or misleading talk; idle chatter.
at air, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 18: Alki stiff. — One who habitually drinks alcohol or inferior liquor.
at alky stiff (n.) under alky, adj.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 234: He [...] shared the camp fire with us, and produced a bottle of ‘alki’ as his contribution.
at alky, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 18: Alley apple. — A stone or piece of brick or paving stone used as a missile in street fighting.
at alley apple (n.) under alley, n.1
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 18: Altar. — A toilet, more especially the porcelain bowl.
at altar, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 118: Kneeling at the Altar. – Committing pederasty.
at kneel at the altar, v.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 19: Anchor. — To settle down at a steady job; to remain in one place.
at anchor, v.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 18: Angel. — A male pervert; from the quiet, rather subdued, ladylike manners of these men when in the company of others who have more easily accepted ideas of morality.
at angel, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 19: Annie Oakley. — A free ticket or pass to an amusement or entertainment.
at Annie Oakley, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 19: Anoint. — To flog or whip, especially as part of prison discipline.
at anoint (with birchen salve), v.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 19: Artillery. — Beans, or any other food likely to ferment [...] of army origin.
at artillery, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 20: Artist. — Any skilful crook or confidence worker who inspires respect in his work by other less gifted criminals.
at artist, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 75: In a railroad eating-house, [...] ‘a string of flats, plenty of pin grease and a tank of murk,’ would be merely an order for a plate of griddle or pancakes with plenty of butter, and a cup of coffee.
at axle grease, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 21: Bald-headed Lump.—A ‘lump’ or package of food given a tramp which contains nothing but coarse, hearty food, without pie, cake, or other sweets.
at bald-headed lump (n.) under bald-headed, adj.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 21: Baldy.—A generic term for an old man, regardless of the hair he may or may not have.
at baldy, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 21: Bale of Straw.—A blonde woman. Very generally used in circus and carnival circles.
at bale of hay, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 47: Carrying the Balloon. – In search of employment; applied principally to migratory workers travelling from one section of the country to another in pursuit of some definite kind of work, such as harvesting.
at carry the balloon (v.) under balloon, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 21: Balloon Juice.—Idle talk; exaggerated metaphor; that sort of conversation once called ‘gas’ in ordinary slang.
at balloon juice (n.) under balloon, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 47: Carrying the Balloon.–Travelling about with one’s bedding, and often the cooking utensils and clothing.
at balloon, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 22: Barrel Dosser. [Ibid.] 23: Barrel Stiff.—An old, worn-out bum, living in barrel houses, eating whatever may be salvaged from garbage cans or cheap lunch rooms, and absolutely without hope or ambition.
at barrel-boarder, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl.
at barrel, v.1
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 22: Barrel House. – Originally, and before prohibition, the cheap Bowery resorts where the dregs from liquor barrels were served at as little as a penny a drink. More lately the term has come to mean any cheap lodging-house, speakeasy or brothel of the lowest, filthiest sort, where the money to pay for a drunken sleep is all that is asked of a patron.
at barrelhouse, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 22: Bat house – An insane asylum ; a place where are confined those ‘batty’ or with ‘bats in the belfry,’ which expression has been shortened in vagabondia to ‘bats’ or ‘batty’.
at bat house (n.) under bat, n.5
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 24: Batting.—Travelling aimlessly and without purpose.
at bat, v.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 23: Batter.—To beg or solicit alms. [...] Batter the Drag.—To beg on the street. [...] Batter the privates.—To beg from door to door in a residential district.
at batter, v.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 24: Beachcomber.-A tramp or bum who hangs about water front saloons and the docks and begs food and drink from the sailors. Adopted from the correct use to indicate a tramp in the tropics, and used in its newer sense exclusively by the fraternity of the road.
at beachcomber, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 24: Beard Jammer.–One who conducts a disorderly resort; a whoremaster.
at beard-jammer (n.) under beard, n.
[US] Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 41: bum beef.–An unjust accusation. A prisoner who says, ‘I was jugged on a bum beef,’ is merely declaring ‘I was imprisoned after an unjust accusation and undeserved arrest, for I am innocent.’.
at bum beef (n.) under beef, n.2
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