Twists, Slugs and Roscoes: A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang

Film Noir Slang ^ | FR Post 3-3-3 | Compiled by William Denton

[vannrox]

I am a big Film Noir fan. I found this on line dictionary and wanted to share it with others of the same interest as myself. It's a little bit of culture about 50 years ago.

[ArcLight]

Here's another noir fan who thanks you for this link. I love this stuff--reading a collection of noir short stories right now. Hammett, Cain, Spillane, Jim Thompson--there's even a Harlan Ellison in the mix. Who knew he ever wrote noir? And then I downloaded a radio performance of Cain's Double Indemnity," with Fred McMurray and Barbara Stanwyck. No Edward G. Robinson, alas, but William Conrad fills in quite nicely.

As you can see, I just love noir. So thanks!

[Republicus2001]

Clymer = anus

[yankeedame]

Be on the nut, To: To be broke

From the term "To make the nut/ Making the nut", which comes from 19th century American history. When traveling shows came into to town, it wasn't unusual for them to run up bills and then skip out w/o settling their debts.

So to discourage this, whenever a traveling show came to town the first thing the sheffif did was remove one of the wheel nuts. It was only returned when the troupe, at the end of its stay, showed the sherrif proof that they had paid all their bills (hotel, food, etc.).

Hence the term "Making the nut". IOW, coming up with enough money to pay whats owned e.g. "Yeah, I think we made the nut with the rent this month" ("Yeah, I think we scrapped up enough money to pay the rent this month.")

[strela]

Nice post - thanks, ya mug.

[wbill]

Um....I still use plenty of those terms. Wonder if that means I'm 50 years out of date.

Had to explain to a cashier what a sawbuck was the other day, though. Maybe I just answered my own question.....

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[knarf]

When I was in sales, making your nut was making your quota.

Times and slang change.

Tha's a bad mo-bubble choo got there, dude. (Nice car)

[Doctor Stochastic]

I understood the entire lead in. I must watch (or read) too much crime fiction. I did know most of the words though. I just finished re-reading Raymond Chandler. (Next is probably Hammet or the complete Perry Mason.)

There are a couple of dictionaries about criminal and American slang; I'll try to look them up and post the authors.

Some of the cable-satellite channels (Mystery, TCM) run film noir a lot.

[Doctor Stochastic]

"The Big Heat" is on TV (Mystery Channel) tonight.

[lorrainer]

This is great. I was out to dinner with colleagues from work not too long ago--college educated and in their 40s and 50s. Not one of them had ever heard the expression "Drop a Dume," LOL.

I have often dreamed of writing for the genre...

"My name is Al. Al Dente. I'm the food critic for the Chronicle..."

[Clemenza]

Dinge: Black person

The first time I ever heard this epithet used was in Raymond Chandler's Farewell My Lovely, a great book that was made into an AWFUL movie called Murder My Sweet. The book opens with Marlowe dropping in on a "dinge joint" called Florian's.

Incidentally, the best noir dialog is to be found in Sweet Smell of Success courtesy of Clifford Odetts:

I'd hate to take a bite out of you, you're a cookie full of Arsenic.

[vannrox]

Here's some great Links!

Denny Jacksons Actresses of the Silver Screen"
The Ladies of the Silver Screen (Amazing Photo Reference!)
Photo Galleries of Silent Movie Stars">



........

[zook]

bump for later

[Alouette]

The problem with this glossary is that it doesn't give the historical time period when this slang was popular. That makes it limited value to an author. There's slang from the 18th and 19th century mixed together with slang from 50 years ago without a clue as to what words were being used when.

Sometimes slang can have different meaning depending on time period. For example, this glossary gives Bangtails: Racehorses but in the "From Hell" Jack the Ripper movie (set in the 1880's) a "bangtail" is a prostitute.

[Physicist]

self-ping

[MrLeRoy]

FYI

[Roscoe]

http://fanac.org/Fannish_Reference_Works/Fancyclopedia/Fancyclopedia_II/qubromeo.html

[MrLeRoy]

LOL!

[Doctor Stochastic]

http://www.filmsite.org/index.html