"Stud" redux

[Wilson Gray]

In an earlier post, I noted the use of "stud" in BE as a completely
neutral term for a man, akin to sE "fellow," to the extent that there
was no infererence whatsoever WRT to a man's ability as a seducer of
women. I also implied, if not outright stated, that this was peculiar
to St. Louis BE.

However, I had forgotten that there is clear evidence that this use of
"stud" is not peculiar to St Louis. In the middle '50's, Babs
Gonzalez, a (male) jazz singer-songwriter working out of Harlem,
recorded a recitation entitled, "A Manhattan Fable." I've forgotten
most of it, but here is the little bit that I can recall:

Once upon a deuce of blacks-and-whites ago, a _stud_ from the Natural
Lowlands made it to The Apple. ... copped him a hame delivering them
small packages, for which he was gassed with huge lootie-bonds. ...
failed to dig Nab stashed behind the scene. ... his badge of many
numbers and told him that he wouldn't take him to the slam, if his
greens was long enough. ... house of many doors ...

"A couple of weeks ago, a fellow from the Deep South went to New York
City. ... got a job distributing [glassine packets of] narcotics, for
which he was paid a lot of money. ... failed to notice an undercover
cop. ... his badge and told him that he wouldn't arrest him, if he was
able to pay a large-enough bribe. ... jail house.

-Wilson Gray

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