crowbar Hilton

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

HDAS has "crowbar hotel" on page 529 with a first cite dated 1941.

GenealogyBank seems to have a citation for "crowbar hotel" with the
relevant sense in 1875

Twice Sentenced To Death. Unusual Scene in Court at Williamsport, Pa.
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 1875
Paper: Washington Reporter (Washington, PA)
Page: 2

[Begin excerpt]
Your honor they forced
me to trial when my counsel was not
ready, and kept me in the crowbar
hotel so that I could not work up my
case.
[End excerpt]

On Thu, May 16, 2013 at 11:39 AM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      crowbar Hilton
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Found this curious metaphor today. Haven't really heard it before,
> although I don't have the HDAS on hand and JL might have already caught
> it eons ago.
>
> http://goo.gl/aJCJf
>> Disclosing taxpayer information is a very serious offense for an IRS
>> agent.
>> "That's like the one-way ticket to the crowbar Hilton in the IRS,"
>> Hackney said.
>
> A quick search reveals more than a handful of similar references.
>
> http://goo.gl/YpdEr
>> 18. Somebody needs a time out in the Crowbar Hilton.
>
> http://goo.gl/IgCeE
>> 1. Say hello to the Crowbar Hilton young Mister Wade.
> [Same poster on both of those comments.]
>
> http://goo.gl/G1wmo
>> Crowbar Hilton....NOT even a good place to visit.
> [Some interesting spelling here. "Weather" for "whether" is common, but
> spells "paranoia" as "parnioa" twice.]
>
> http://goo.gl/K9rcZ
>> Celebutante Checks Out of Crowbar Hilton
> [Also being sold through Amazon and other sources. There is an added
> irony--the "celebutant" is Paris Hilton.]
>
> http://goo.gl/hWMzw
>> In Michigan that kind of language in public can net you a tall fine or
>> a short stay in the crowbar Hilton...
>
> http://goo.gl/CH3HZ
>> o.j. simpson going to crowbar hilton
>
>      VS-)
>
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