[Ads-l] Query: Slang "insect promenade"

Cohen, Gerald Leonard gcohen at MST.EDU
Fri Jan 20 00:36:41 UTC 2017


A poem titled "The Rhyme of the Rusher" (1892) is marked by rhyming slang

and cant. One particular item is unclear to me: "insect promenade."  What in

the world does that mean?


The relevant lines are (and btw, mince pies = eyes]:

And I smiled as I closed my two mince pies

In my insect promenade.


Any help would be much appreciated.


Gerald Cohen

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



More information about the Ads-l mailing list