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Twists, Slugs and Roscoes: A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang
Film Noir Slang ^
| FR Post 3-3-3
| Compiled by William Denton
Posted on 03/03/2003 1:58:57 PM PST by vannrox
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I am a big Film Noir fan. I found this on line dictionary and wanted to share it with others of the same interest as myself. It's a little bit of culture about 50 years ago.
1
posted on
03/03/2003 1:58:57 PM PST
by
vannrox
To: vannrox
Here's another noir fan who thanks you for this link. I love this stuff--reading a collection of noir short stories right now. Hammett, Cain, Spillane, Jim Thompson--there's even a Harlan Ellison in the mix. Who knew he ever wrote noir? And then I downloaded a radio performance of Cain's Double Indemnity," with Fred McMurray and Barbara Stanwyck. No Edward G. Robinson, alas, but William Conrad fills in quite nicely.
As you can see, I just love noir. So thanks!
2
posted on
03/03/2003 2:09:57 PM PST
by
ArcLight
To: vannrox
Clymer = anus
To: vannrox
Be on the nut, To: To be broke From the term "To make the nut/ Making the nut", which comes from 19th century American history. When traveling shows came into to town, it wasn't unusual for them to run up bills and then skip out w/o settling their debts.
So to discourage this, whenever a traveling show came to town the first thing the sheffif did was remove one of the wheel nuts. It was only returned when the troupe, at the end of its stay, showed the sherrif proof that they had paid all their bills (hotel, food, etc.).
Hence the term "Making the nut". IOW, coming up with enough money to pay whats owned e.g. "Yeah, I think we made the nut with the rent this month" ("Yeah, I think we scrapped up enough money to pay the rent this month.")
4
posted on
03/03/2003 2:14:34 PM PST
by
yankeedame
("Oh, I can take it, but I'd much rather dish it out.")
To: vannrox
Nice post - thanks, ya mug.
5
posted on
03/03/2003 2:16:26 PM PST
by
strela
("Stop singing and finish your homework!")
To: vannrox
Um....I still use plenty of those terms. Wonder if that means I'm 50 years out of date.
Had to explain to a cashier what a sawbuck was the other day, though. Maybe I just answered my own question.....
6
posted on
03/03/2003 2:16:48 PM PST
by
wbill
To: vannrox
Bump
7
posted on
03/03/2003 2:21:31 PM PST
by
Fiddlstix
To: yankeedame
When I was in sales, making your nut was making your quota.
Times and slang change.
Tha's a bad mo-bubble choo got there, dude. (Nice car)
8
posted on
03/03/2003 2:30:37 PM PST
by
knarf
(From dump trailer to skate board.)
To: wbill
I understood the entire lead in. I must watch (or read) too much crime fiction. I did know most of the words though. I just finished re-reading Raymond Chandler. (Next is probably Hammet or the complete Perry Mason.)
There are a couple of dictionaries about criminal and American slang; I'll try to look them up and post the authors.
Some of the cable-satellite channels (Mystery, TCM) run film noir a lot.
9
posted on
03/03/2003 2:36:03 PM PST
by
Doctor Stochastic
(Vegetabilisch = chaotisch is der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
To: vannrox
"The Big Heat" is on TV (Mystery Channel) tonight.
10
posted on
03/03/2003 2:54:06 PM PST
by
Doctor Stochastic
(Vegetabilisch = chaotisch is der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
To: vannrox; ArcLight
This is great. I was out to dinner with colleagues from work not too long ago--college educated and in their 40s and 50s. Not one of them had ever heard the expression "Drop a Dume," LOL.
I have often dreamed of writing for the genre...
"My name is Al. Al Dente. I'm the food critic for the Chronicle..."
11
posted on
03/03/2003 3:01:36 PM PST
by
lorrainer
(That's all I have so far...)
To: vannrox
Dinge: Black person The first time I ever heard this epithet used was in Raymond Chandler's Farewell My Lovely, a great book that was made into an AWFUL movie called Murder My Sweet. The book opens with Marlowe dropping in on a "dinge joint" called Florian's.
Incidentally, the best noir dialog is to be found in Sweet Smell of Success courtesy of Clifford Odetts:
I'd hate to take a bite out of you, you're a cookie full of Arsenic.
12
posted on
03/03/2003 4:10:45 PM PST
by
Clemenza
(East side, West side, all around the town. Tripping the light fantastic on the sidewalks of New York)
To: ArcLight
13
posted on
03/03/2003 4:41:59 PM PST
by
vannrox
(The Preamble to the Bill of Rights - without it, our Bill of Rights is meaningless!)
To: vannrox
bump for later
14
posted on
03/03/2003 5:14:22 PM PST
by
zook
To: vannrox
The problem with this glossary is that it doesn't give the historical time period when this slang was popular. That makes it limited value to an author. There's slang from the 18th and 19th century mixed together with slang from 50 years ago without a clue as to what words were being used when.
Sometimes slang can have different meaning depending on time period. For example, this glossary gives Bangtails: Racehorses but in the "From Hell" Jack the Ripper movie (set in the 1880's) a "bangtail" is a prostitute.
15
posted on
03/03/2003 5:21:52 PM PST
by
Alouette
To: Physicist
self-ping
To: Roscoe
FYI
17
posted on
03/04/2003 6:40:01 AM PST
by
MrLeRoy
("That government is best which governs least.")
To: MrLeRoy
18
posted on
03/04/2003 8:56:40 AM PST
by
Roscoe
To: Roscoe
LOL!
19
posted on
03/04/2003 8:59:14 AM PST
by
MrLeRoy
("That government is best which governs least.")
To: Physicist
20
posted on
03/04/2003 9:51:09 AM PST
by
Doctor Stochastic
(Vegetabilisch = chaotisch is der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
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