slum

Stephen Goranson goranson at DUKE.EDU
Mon Jul 9 10:52:00 UTC 2007


>> Here it transparently means "a dollar."  But why?  I don't believe
>> I've seen this sense before.
>>
>>   1863 _Hooley's Opera House Songster_ (N.Y.: Dick & FitzGerald)
>> 32: "So I‭'‭ll go and jump a bounty, / And have a
>> little spree." / Joe went and put his name down,/  And got three
>> hundred " slums," / And then skedaddled and ran away.

Is a typo or scanning error for "clams" possible?

Stephen Goranson

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



More information about the Ads-l mailing list