Red Hots and pick-ups

[Mark Mandel]

Barry quotes:
>>>>>
RED HOTS

   OED has only "red hots"="hot dogs."  There is also "red hot chilli
peppers."
   From the NYHT, 6 April 1953, pg. 10, col. 6:

_"Red Hots" in Jars_
   On the same shelf a jar of "Red Hots," meaning small red peppers with a
nip of stem left to use as a pick-up.
<<<<<

Note that "pick-up", evidently meaning 'handle' (to pick the small pepper
up with). It *could* = "pick-me-up" but that seems unlikely in context with
the "nip of stem".

                  Mark A. Mandel : Senior Linguist
 Dragon Systems, a Lernout & Hauspie company : speech recognition
 320 Nevada St., Newton, MA 02460, USA : http://www.dragonsys.com