1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 167: But don’t try and play too smart with me. Is not I who make the kiss-me-arse plug.at kiss-my-ass, adj.
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 20: We sure to make a profit then with you shaking your backside.at backside, n.
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 165: This is going to be a champion Christmas tree, Doreen. A champion tree.at champion, adj.
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 220: Some Negro boys were idling in the shade [...] They rose when they saw the hearse and ran, jeering, out on to the track. ‘Coolie funeral!’ they shouted.at coolie, adj.
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 325: Just look at that ring and if that is not a dollar sign I’ll eat my hat.at eat one’s hat, v.
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 172: I must say that’s a good one. You should have been one of the boys. They would like the kind of joke you does make.at good one, n.
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 272: Every meeting he hold they does come by the busload just to heckle and give him a hard time.at give someone a hard time (v.) under hard time, n.
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 206: At six o’clock, what was called the ‘ice-box’, a crude affair, deep-sided and stained a dark, dull brown, arrived from the funeral home.at icebox, n.
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 118: You was trying to put one over on old Eustace, eh!at put one over (on) (v.) under one, n.1
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 135: ‘To hell with that piss’n’tail Wilkie’, he cried.at pissing-tail, adj.
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 33: So don’t try putting anything on me, you hear.at put something on (v.) under put, v.1
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 82: You does be too soft with them. I go do him good and proper.at soft, adj.
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 18: I run one of their stupid buses into a lamp-post. It was a real sonofabitch lamp-post anyway.at sonofabitching, adj.
1970 S. Naipaul Fireflies 43: I’ve been planning to write this book for a long time [...] It’s all going to come straight back from the horse’s mouth, as they say.at (straight) from the horse’s mouth under straight, adv.