more Harlemese (1940)

[Mark Mandel]

Yes indeed, "knocking the cutglass out". I don't know if a connection was
intended, but my first thought was Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938, just
15 months prior).

m a m

On Thu, Sep 4, 2008 at 10:17 AM, Benjamin Zimmer <
bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:

> Here's an excerpt from one of Dan Burley's "Back Door Stuff" columns
> entitled "A Harlem Cat Digs the World Sitchuashun" (introduced as a
> "discussion of world affairs by a Harlem Cat, in the new Harlemese").
> Note that Congressmen are "the Squares in Their Chairs".
>
> ---
> New York Amsterdam News, Feb. 15, 1940, p. 1
> ...
> Jive is beat, ole man, unless you dig the swing. The Apple's twirling,
> Jack, a deuce o' boxcars around the chimer, an' the Cat that's
> unhipped is like the chicken, ain't stickin' ole man, ain't stickin'.
> Latch onto this hard mess, stud hoss, an' you'll dig what I'm laying
> down: Them Bulls in the China Closet across the heavy drink are
> knocking the cutglass out an' spoiling the scenic effect while the
> Squares in Their Chairs in the Mighty Dome are shootin' for the side
> pocket and scratchin' every time.
> ...
> The translation: My lingo is useless unless you understand. The earth
> is spinning once every 24 hours and the person who doesn't know what's
> going on is as minus perception as a chicken is minus money. Listen to
> this discussion (hard mess), my friend, (stud hoss) and you'll
> understand my viewpoint. The Nazis, (bulls in the China Closet) across
> the ocean are breaking up everything, while our Congressmen (Squares
> in Their Chairs) in Washington (Mighty Dome) are doing everything
> wrong (shooting for the side pocket and scratching every time).
> ---
>
>
> --Ben Zimmer
>
>
--
Mark Mandel

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