more hash house lingo (1889-1899)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

A search on antedatings for "sunny side up" (OED2 1901) turns up many
vivid descriptions of Bowery hash house slang at the end of the 19th
century.  The articles below supplement the ones already discovered by
Barry Popik:

Brooklyn Eagle, "Restaurant Calls" (1887)
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0302D&L=ads-l&P=R4528

N.Y. Herald, "Very Democratic Hash" (1888)
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0210E&L=ads-l&P=R2751

L.A. Times, "Slang of the Restaurants" (1897)
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0307C&L=ads-l&P=R3588

Atlanta Constitution, "Story of a Queer Cafe in New York" (1899)
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0311A&L=ads-l&P=R4213
http://barrypopik.com/article/161/hash-house-lingo

(The Constitution article attributes the Bowery slang to one Michael
Casey, while the 1895 obituary below gives Frank Ehrler much of the
credit.)

-----
Washington Post, Sep. 15, 1889, p. 9, col. 4
The Bowery has a language all its own, which reaches its most artistic
perfection in the eating houses. Here are some of the terms used by the
waiters: White wings, sunny side up (fried eggs, not turned); a life
preserver (beef stew, so called because that is what a hungry man buys
with his last dime); slaughter in the pan, black one (beefsteak and
coffee); Boston (baked beans).
-----
Middletown Daily Press (N.Y.), Dec. 5, 1890, p. 3, col. 2
Farmer Hayseed (in a ten-cent hash house)--Say, gimme me some roast duck.
Waiter (singing out)--Quack! Farmer Hayseed-—An' some beans! Waiter--Plate
o' Bostons and—- Farmer (hesitatingly)—-And some fried eggs. Waiter--Adam
an' Eve, wid the sunny side up. Farmer (very doubtfully)—-And a glass o'
milk! Waiter—-Drive de cow home! Farmer--And some chick. Waiter—-
Cock-a-doodle-doo! Farmer—-Gee whiz! Lemme out! -—Boston Traveller.
-----
New York Times, Jun 5, 1895, p. 16, col. 4
One of the "Beefsteak Johns" is dead. His name was Frank Ehrler. ...
Frank Ehrler was always a good-natured witty man, and he and his brother
Dominick practically originated the peculiar slang abbreviations for food
now so generally used by the waiters in the chop and eating places.
"Beef stew for a bum, and take the butter off the table," was one of his
original ways of taking an order for a shady customer.
Another was, "A roll and a bowl and beef a la mode for the Markee. Lock up
the butter."
"Sunny side up" was his message to the cook when eggs were ordered fried
on one side only.
"In the dark" was his brief and expressive way of ordering coffee without
milk.
"Extra ladies' salad" meant chicken salad.
-----
Sandusky Star (Ohio), Jan. 27, 1899, p. 1, col. 4
Bowery English is a language of its own. It is distinctly foreign to the
Anglo-Saxon commonly in vogue in the ordinary walks of life. It is used
almost exclusively in the restaurants of the thoroughfare and is apt to
startle strangers. For instance, a customer not accustomed to the life of
the Bowery, who wandered into one of its restaurants by mistake, might
call for ham and eggs, and the waiter would yell to the cook, "A slice for
a gazabo wid a souvenir from de feather factory." Or perhaps the customer
would desire two eggs fried plain. The waiter's order to the kitchen would
be in the choicest Bowery dialect about as follows. "T'row on a pair of de
white wings an have de sunny side up." A glass of milk would bring forth
an order for cow juice "wid an overcoat." A steak, "number seven;" beef
stew, "mixed Irish;" pork and beans, "Boston labor and Chicago capital;"
corned beef sandwich, "stare the cow in the face;" mush and milk,
"disturbed hen fruit;" Spanish omelet, "Santiago cake walk;" chocolate
eclair, "French roll wid black dirt on it;" rice and cream, "Chinese white
wedding," and so on until every article on the bill of fare has its own
name. "Why do we talk dat way to de cooks?" asked one of the waiters in
reply to a query. "Why, dem blokies wouldn't know what youse wuz talkin
about if youse said it any udder way."
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--Ben Zimmer