slow boat to china

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>      "I'd like to get you on a slow boat to China" was a
>      well-known phrase among poker players, referring to a
>      person who lost steadily and handsomely.

And that's just how it was used in the 1947 example in the "Washington Post"!

"On a slow boat to China" = "For a long time on a ship" = "In a long series
of card games". Much more natural than the romantic concept in the song!

-- Doug Wilson