peeties and more dice slang

[Jonathan Lighter]

Aces, Bill.  Now how about "snake eyes."

JL

"Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Mullins, Bill"
Subject: peeties and more dice slang
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peeties -- altered dice (not in OED)

"Southern Negro's Game"
Idaho | Boise | The Idaho Daily Statesman | 1899-09-16 p. 4 col 2.
"The dice -- the negroes call them bones -- are tossed upon the ground
and each player in turn picks them up and carefully scrutinizes them.
This is done to prevent any one from "ringing in peeties." "Peeties"
are dice with double numbers, and they are of two kinds -- those with
which it is impossible to throw seven, and others with which nothing
else can be thrown."


"The Game of Craps" _Current Literature_ (1888-1912); Jun 1898; VOL.
XXIII.,, No. 6; APS Online
pg. 558 col 2.
"If the dice are "crooked" the game usually comes to a tumultuous end by
the players "snatching up stakes" and using razors on the anatomy of the
man who "rung in the peetie." "


miscellaneous -- most not in OED
p. 558 col. 2.
"The person who covers a thrower's money is a "fader." Nearly every
point on the dice is named. Four is called "Little Joe"; five is called
"Phoebe" or "fever"; six is known as "Jimmy Hicks"; nine is "Lex," and
ten sometimes is "Big Dick," and at others "Big Tom." "


oontz
p. 559 col 1.
"In St. Louis white gamblers tried to change the name of the game to
"oontz." "


trimmer, phonies

ENTHUSIASTIC GAMBLERS WHO WANT PLENTY OF ACTION SAY THAT CRAPS IS THE
GAME
The National Police Gazette; Dec 27, 1902; VOLUME LXXXI, No. 1323.; APS
Online
pg. 6 col 1.
"The sporting fraternity is partial to craps, because you get action for
your money all the time, except when the "trimmers" work a pair of
"phonies" on you. Then the "trimmer" gets the action all to himself, if
you don't "get wise." "


come (Does OED have this sense?)
ENTHUSIASTIC GAMBLERS WHO WANT PLENTY OF ACTION SAY THAT CRAPS IS THE
GAME
The National Police Gazette; Dec 27, 1902; VOLUME LXXXI, No. 1323.; APS
Online
pg. 6 col 2.
"Everybody can be with the shooter by placing their money in a circle
marked "Come Bets." "

sewed up
ENTHUSIASTIC GAMBLERS WHO WANT PLENTY OF ACTION SAY THAT CRAPS IS THE
GAME
The National Police Gazette; Dec 27, 1902; VOLUME LXXXI, No. 1323.; APS
Online
pg. 6 col 3.
"When he came back again the following night there was no crap table in
the place. In the parlance of the crap shooters, he had "sewed up" the
game."

crap game (OED has 1890)
"Leaped to Liberty", _The National Police Gazette_; Jul 9, 1887; VOLUME
L., No. 512.; APS Online; pg. 2 col 4.
"Shortly before five o'clock Officers Wilmes and Schelling received
information that a crap game was in progress in a room over Bradford's
saloon, at 193 Vine street."

crap house (OED has 1888)
"Investigating Committee"
New York | Dunkirk | Evening Observer | 1885-01-07 p. 1 col 5.
"I don't know that he keeps a 'crap-house;' I don't know what a
'crap-house' is."

crap shooter (OED has 1895)
BLACK KU-KLUXISM.
The Atlanta Constitution (1881-2001); Mar 29, 1888; pg. 2 col 5.
"This ball was enriched with that usual accompaniment of colored
fandangoes, which ended in a fracas among the crap-shooters."

crap table -- OED has 1902
ROBBERS TERRORIZE GAMBLERS
New York Times (1857-Current file); Sep 6, 1896; pg. 6 col 2.
"The he quickly made his way to the crap table."

crap out -- OED has 1933
"The Game of Craps" _Current Literature_ (1888-1912); Jun 1898; VOL.
XXIII.,, No. 6; APS Online
pg. 558 col 2.
"If he throws two, three or twelve he loses, or "craps out." "

point (I don't see this sense in OED)
" "Craps" as It Is Played By the Southern Darkey" GORDON NOEL HURTEL
The Atlanta Constitution (1881-2001); Oct 10, 1897; pg. 9 col 2.
"If he throws four, five, six, eight, nine or ten that is called his
"point," and he throws again until either he makes his "point" once more
or makes seven."

crap shoot (figurative) (not in OED)
"'Potato' Hot One Now" By Bob Thomas
The Washington Post; Aug 2, 1964; pg. G3 col 3.
"But we made it plain that the whole project was a crap shoot, and they
should invest only what they could afford."

"Beware! The Invaders Are Coming!"
By REX REED New York Times; Mar 19, 1967; pg. D23 col 6.
"I think we'll be around next season, but who knows in this business?
TV is a crap shoot."

crap shot (figurative) (not in OED)
"Biddle agency $2 million in debt" George Lazarus Chicago Tribune; Mar
23, 1978; pg. C11 col 2.
"The latter deal led one Tribune source to observe: "It was a crap shot
from the time the agency was purchased and they [Biddle's new
management] couldn't get lucky." "

roll the bones (OED has 1897 under "number"; I.2.e.)
HE LED A FAST LIFE
The Atlanta Constitution (1881-2001); Jun 9, 1891; pg. 1 col 6.
"Now that he is gone, it develops that he was a habitue of gambling
houses and rolled the bones for very high stakes, and bet on horse
races."


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