1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 111: If he messed around long enough, he could get us all killed.at mess about, v.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 32: ‘What does it add up to?’ ‘It adds up to something big.’.at add up, v.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 34: Kelly’s stringing along with us on this; nothing breaks till we say go. Turnabout, he gets some of the inside from us.at string (along) with (v.) under string (along), v.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 97: The cops gave me the same kind of song and dance about Kash.at give someone a song and dance (v.) under song and dance, n.1
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 135: After I banged that around it didn’t look so good after all.at bang around (v.) under bang, v.1
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 145: You’d better get this man to the hospital. He’s pretty well banged up.at banged up, adj.1
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 78: Four strikes I’d had at the guy, once on the phone, three times inside and I still hadn’t made it to first base.at first base, n.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 16: Calling on a lady, I wanted my shoes shined even if she turned out to be an old bat.at old bat (n.) under bat, n.1
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 71: ‘Where from you know Cookie?’ ‘Back when I thought I could beat the beetles.’.at beetle, n.2
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 79: Dragoon had got him to spill by the simple expedient of beating the be-jeezus out of him.at bejazus, n.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 30: ‘It’s also an odd place to check it.’ ‘I’m lazy.’ ‘I’ll bet.’.at I’ll bet under bet, v.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 34: This is the first really big thing I’ve had a chance at – putting my own time in on it.at big thing, n.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 128: ‘Who’s the boss?’ I yelled. ‘Give it to me straight or you’re dead. Who’s the big boy?’.at big boy, n.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 72: That’s big league. Not good to mess around with.at big-league, adj.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 56: I thought of the nearly naked inside of my stomach. Maybe a little hair of the dog would help dress it up.at hair of the dog (that bit one), n.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 15: The mounting number of hit-and-run deaths that was helping to give L.A. a black eye with the National Safety Council.at give someone/something a black eye (v.) under black eye, n.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 145: He’s what’s left of the kill syndicate, the hit-and-run artists. He’s the boss-man.at boss man (n.) under boss, n.2
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 8: Okay. So I’m out a bundle anyway. A twelve-grand bundle.at bundle, n.1
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 73: You nose it around you want to do business and you can do business all right. And there’s been business done.at business, n.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 33: Man, what a story. If I could bust something like that, they’d give me the paper.at bust, v.1
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 75: He was in every hand all night. Right up to about one, Thursday a.m. That’s when the game finally busted up.at bust up, v.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 67: I’d have bet the ten C’s in my wallet against a two dollar win ticket on Stupendous.at C, n.2
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 41: Of all the crackpot capers [...] this takes the cake.at take the cake, v.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 131: She pushed her lips together and thought for a minute. ‘Can do, I think. Now?’.at can do, phr.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 41: Of all the crackpot capers [...] this takes the cake.at caper, n.2
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 66: We counted it and there was a total of eighteen thousand, two hundred dollars. Quite a piece of change for Joey.at change, n.
1958 R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 31: Some mugg gets charged up or drunk and behind the wheel of a car, bangs into some guy, then runs off and leaves him dead.at charged (up), adj.