Graveyard Stew (1887) and more hash house slang

Bapopik at AOL.COM Bapopik at AOL.COM
Sun Jul 6 23:43:32 UTC 2003


   John Mariani and the HDAS both cite the 1911 DIALECT NOTES for "graveyard
stew."  I used the term to find more articles on hash house slang.


   15 March 1887, ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, pg. 3, col. 6:
    During this raid Coulter walked into a small eating saloon, frquented by
railway men, as a young consumptive was eating a "graveyard stew," as milk
toast is called in that section.
(From the DENVER NEWS--ed.)


   14 February 1903, ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, pg.6, col. 3:
   The London Times refers to "the Venezucian mess."  Out west they would
call it a graveyard stew.


   5 May 1931, CHRONICLE TELEGRAM, pg. 16, col. 1:
   In hash-houses along the water front on West street, there is a hilarious
jargon understandable only to the initiated.  When a waiter cries "Clean up
the kitchen!" the cook prepares a Hamburg steak.  A "McGraw" is a lamb stew.
Spinach is "grass", milk toast is a "Graveyard Stew" and "Burn up a Bull" is a
Porterhouse steak.  Incidentally, on West street a dish washer is a "pearl
diver."

   22 June 1931, CHRONICLE TELEGRAM (Elyria, Ohio), pg.19, col. 1:
   Add hash house jargon: "Two Micks in kimonas"--Irish potatoes with the
skins on.


   24 January 1940, WAUKESHA FREEMAN (Waukesha, Wisconsin), pg. 3?, col. 3:
"Adam and Eve on a raft"--Poached eggs on toast.
"Adam on a raft"--one egg, same style.
"Graveyard stew"--milk toast.
"Kitchen mystery" or "sweep up the kitchen"--hash.
"200 on a plate"--pork and beans.
"Ice cream slush"--malted milk.
"Kick the hen twice and fry 'em easy"--two fried eggs.
"Chicken walking through water"--chicken soup.
"Submarine turkey"--salmon steak.
"Naturalized Swiss"--American cheese.
"National anthem"--spareribs and sauerkraut.
"Jiggs"--corned beef and cabbage.
"Benito"--spaghetti.
"Slum-gullion"--Stew.
"Mississippi mud," or "Java"--coffee.
"Jam pie"--any pie with little filling.
"Cackleberries"--eggs.
"Setup"--bread, butter, water, knife, fork, etc.
"Grass"--lettuce.
"Hot beef for"--to be prepared for a sandwich.
"Ground sirloin steak on a bun"--hamburger.
"Guernsey highball" or "moo juice"--milk.  (HDAS has 1942 for "moo"--ed.)
"Brown moo juice"--chocolate milk.
"H2O"--glass of water.
"Little pigs on a platter"--pork sausage links.
"Shake the can"--milk shake.
"Stack of wheats"--order of pancakes.
"Swab the deck"--clean off the counter.
"Cremate it"--prepare it well done.
"Drunk with a bad cold"--oystew stew.
"Western sandwich"--Denver sandwich.


   It's worth recording the classic restaurant slogan of Reuben's.  (I don't
know how much advertising Fred Shapiro is interested in.)  This is specially
for cookbook author Becky Mercuri, who's doing a book about sandwiches:


   14 January 1926, MARION DAILY STAR (Marion, Ohio), pg. 6, col. 8:
   Thus does it carry out its advertising slogan: "From a sandwich to an
institution."



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