https://flashbak.com/raymond-chandlers-guide-to-street-hoodlum-and-prison-lingo-443428/ * Category Select a post category [All ] * Search Type to search posts on Flashback[ ] * THE SHOP IS OPEN Everything Old Is New Again * THE SHOP IS OPEN * About * About Our Shop * Advertise * Archives * Contact Form * Contribute * Donate or Subscribe - Your Kind Generosity is Hugely Appreciated * Returns & Refunds * Subscribe To The Free Newsletter For Exclusives & Offers * Terms, Conditions and Cookies * We Are * We Buy Kodachromes & Old Photographs By Paul Gallagher on June 30, 2021 0 Post Views: 2,071 Books Crime Drugs photographs Elliott Gould gangsters Hollywood Joan Didion Killer in the Rain Language lists notebooks pearls Are A Nuisance prison Raymond Chandler San Quentin slang The Big Sleep The Lonf Goodbye The Sart-Aleck Kill Thomas Hardy Raymond Chandler's Guide to Street, Hoodlum, and Prison Lingo Some of the best parts of Chandler's notebooks were his compilations of pickpocket lingo, jail house slang, and terms used by Narcs Raymond Chandler, writer, crime, books Writers keep notebooks because ideas come in the most unexpected of places. Notebooks contain a junkyard of treasures waiting to be discovered. They provide ports of entry to the imagination. And as Joan Didion once wrote, a place to keep "on nodding terms with the people we used to be". Thomas Hardy kept four notebooks: a "literary notebook"; a "Poetical Matter" notebook for his poetry; a "Studies, Specimens, etc." notebook for assorted jottings; and a notebook for "Facts" which he compiled with help from his wife Emma out of old newspaper stories from the 1820s. Raymond Chandler kept two kinds of notebook. One recording daily events and progression on works in hand. The second contained lists of titles, puns, similes, story ideas, observations, and first drafts. When Chandler moved to England, he had most of his notebooks taken out to city dump and burnt. Only two loose-leaf notebooks remained after Chandler's death. These notebooks reveal Chandler's dedication to his craft, his fastidious nature, and his no-nonsense straightforward prose. Among his earliest notes are later marginalia denouncing any hint of pretentiousness. Raymond Chandler, Killer in the Rain, book, crime fiction Among his notes are comments on science and art or "truth": There are two kinds of truth: the truth that lights the way and the truth that warms the heart. The first truth is science, and the second is art. Neither is independent of the other or more important than the other. Without art science would be useless as a pair of high forceps in the hands of a plumber. Without science art would be a crude mess of folklore and emotional quackery. The truth of art keeps science from becoming inhuman, and the truth of science keeps art from being ridiculous. 2-19-38 Chandler had a long interest in creating book titles. He even invented a writer Aaron Klopstein to try out some of his more bizarre titles, like Once More the Cicatrice, The Seagull Has No Friends, Twenty Inches of Monkey, The Hydraulic Facelift and Cat Hairs in the Custard. Other titles for possible novels include: The Man with the Shredded Ear All Guns are Loaded The Corpse Came in Person They Only Murdered Him Once The Diary of a Loud Check Suit Deceased When Last Seen Quick, Hide the Body Stop Screaming--It's Me The Black-Eyed Blonde Thunder-Bug Everyone Says Good-bye Too Soon Raymond Chandler, Pearls are a Nuisance, books, crime fiction But book titles and weighty thoughts was one thing, some of the best parts of Chandler's notebooks were his compilations of pickpocket lingo, jail house slang, and terms used by Narcs. Narcotics Squad Slang pin-jabber--hypo user sniffer--snuffer dodo--any addict gow--a dope, as "gowed up" kick the gong around--use dope (Harlem) daisy crushers--shoes pearl diver--dish washer fancy pants--(verb) to act cagily or coyly Hard Harry--a hard guy Slang and Hard Talk Chicago lightning--gunfire dip the bill--take a drink grape--liquor cough yourself off--beat it eel juice--liquor creased, bent--knocked off, also stolen circulation drops--drinks lip--lawyer squibbed off--shot new street--new girl give her hello--say hello to her kick the joint--break in under glass--in prison, caught Hollywood Slang baggage-smasher--clumsy person blinker--camera duchess--a girl in the money fluff--baby doll footfever--hurry garbo--a highhat jail break--time out to eat mob it--break formation queen bee--show off sock the clock--punch the time clock toots--chorus boy (getting stale) X ray--still photo zubber--a cane and spats guy Raymond Chandler, The Smart Aleck Kill, crime fiction, Penguin Books San Quentin Prison Slang Quoted by former Warden Holohan in Los Angeles Times. (Well-known terms omitted.) Beak - Judge Buried - held incommunicado Broom - Disappeared hastily Bonarue (Fr.) - Good Box - Safe and also phonograph Bank - Shot of dope Back door parole - Die in prison Blow your copper - Lose good conduct credits Buck - Priest Case dough - Limited dough Caught in a snowstorm - Cocained up Crazy alley - Fenced-in section for daffy prisoners Copper-hearted - Informer by nature Crib - Safe Crow McGee - No good, not real Cecil - Cocaine Croaker - Doctor Copper - Good prison records Cop a heel - Assault from behind Dinah - Nitroglycerine Dropper - Paid killer Duffer - Bread Eye - Detective Fog - Shoot Fall money - Bail and legal fees Fin - Five dollar bill Fin up - Five years to live Grease - Protection money Glom - Steal, grab Gum heel - Cop Herder - Guard in prison Hincty - Suspicious Jinny - Blind pig Lifeboat - Pardon, commutation of sentence McCoy - Genuine (opposed to Crow McGee) Nose - Police spy On the Erie - Shut up! someone is listening Office - Signal On the muscle - Quarrelsome, ready for trouble Put the cross on - Mark for death Roscoe - Gat, hand gun Shag - Worthless Slam off - Die (not kill) Swamp - Arrest Slim - Police spy Sneeze - Kidnap Spear - Arrest Shin - Knife, contraband weapon, shotgun Siberia - Solitary confinement cells Tommy Gee - Machine gunner Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, books, Penguin Books, crime fiction Pickpocket Lingo (Maybe New York only) Saturday Evening Post, October 21, 1950 Cannon--General term for pickpocket (Dip is unused, obsolete) Live cannon--A thief who works on normally situated people, as opposed to a roller (a lushworker) who frisks drunks. Both men knock their victims. Rousters walk with the victim pretending to help; sneak workers don't touch him unless he is passed out or near to it. Pit worker--Inside-breast-pocket expert. Moll buzzer--Operator on women's handbags. Sneeze--Arrest. Short--Bus, street car, any public conveyance. Stride--Walking ("On the stride.") Shed--Railroad station. Tip--Crowd. Bridge--Pocket. Button--Police badge. Kiss the dog--Work face to face with the victim. Tail pits--Right and left side pockets of jacket. Pratt--Rear trouser pocket. Stall--Accomplice who creates confusion to fix the victim's attention. Right fall--Grand larceny conviction. To obtain there must be testimony that the accused had his hand in the victim's pocket and was caught with the goods still on him. Most arrests are for "jostling," which is a misdemeanor good for no more than six bits (months). A shove is enough when the shover is a known operator. Hanger binging--Opening women's handbags without stealing the bag. Tweezer--Change purse. Stiff--A newspaper or other shield to hide operations. Wire or hook--The actual live cannon, as opposed to the stall. Shot--A young pickpocket just starting to work (Harlem cant). Fan the scratch--To locate money in a pocket without putting the hand in, i.e., by touch. Dunnigan worker--Thieves who hang around comfort stations hoping for a coat left on a hook. Note: A cannon never takes your money. He forks his fingers over it and moves away from it with a shove. Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye, Elliott Gould, book, crime fiction, film Would you like to support Flashbak? Please consider making a donation to our site. We don't want to rely on ads to bring you the best of visual culture. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. And you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For great art and culture delivered to your door, visit our shop. * * The Shop - Free shipping on all prints New[sarnies-london-340x340] Sandwiches on Sale in London. 1972 * Become A Subscriber - Your Support Really Matters If you enjoy what we do and want to help us move away from relying on ads, please consider becoming a patron with a recurring monthly subscription of your choosing. Subscribe & Support [donate-gra] Donate * * Organic Shopping Bags New[2176020-White1615404792_1296x-340x340] * Shop Here for T-Shirts New[dfdf-340x340] 'If You Are Not Part of The Solution, You Are Part of The Problem' - Eldridge Cleaver * Shop for Fine-Art Prints - Free Shipping Newprint : Asakusa Ricefields and Torinomachi Festival by Ando Hiroshige - 1857 * * Share Your Old Snapshots & Stories + Name* [ ] + Email* [ ] + Subject* [ ] + What is your story?* [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] + Upload images Drop files here or [Select files] Accepted file types: jpg, png, gif. + Terms & Conditions* o [ ] I accept the Terms and Conditions + CAPTCHA [Send] * Subscribe to our free newsletter and get a 10% discount in the Flashbak Shop [ ] [OK] Leave this field empty if you're human: [ ] * * Editor's picks Photographer Updates Postcards Of 1960s Resorts Into Their Abandoned Ruins Photographer Updates Postcards Of 1960s Resorts Into Their Abandoned Ruins Ephemeral, disposable, they served only one purpose--to let someone know "I'm here. I'm thinking of you" - Pablo Iglesias Maurer ... 0 Post Views: 644,889 Punk Princess: 'Devastatingly Sexy' Portraits of Debbie Harry 1977 to 1988 Punk Princess: 'Devastatingly Sexy' Portraits of Debbie Harry 1977 to 1988 Gorgeous photographs of Blondie's lead singer by Brian Arts ... 0 Post Views: 35,427 At Home with the Rolling Stones in 1965 At Home with the Rolling Stones in 1965 At the cusp of mega-fame photographs of the Rolling Stones in their respective homes by Danish photographer Bent Rej. ... 0 Post Views: 32,154 The True Story of The Holocaust Train Rescued From The Heart of Darkness - Friday, April 13th, 1945 The True Story of The Holocaust Train Rescued From The Heart of Darkness - Friday, April 13th, 1945 'I cannot believe, today, that the world almost ignored those people and what was happening. How could we have all stood by and have let that happen? They do not owe us anything. We owe them, for what we allowed to happen to them.' - Carrol Walsh, Liberator ... 0 Post Views: 105,211 27 Snapshots of Manchester In The 1960s 27 Snapshots of Manchester In The 1960s 37 Snapshots of Manchester In The 1970s Via: MMU 0 Post Views: 244,359 1980s Teenagers and Their Bedroom Walls 1980s Teenagers and Their Bedroom Walls "Advice my father gave me: never take liquor into the bedroom. Don't stick anything in your ears. Be anything but an architect" - Kurt Vonnegut ... 0 Post Views: 124,569 Feed Sack Fashions And Patterns of Depression Era America Feed Sack Fashions And Patterns of Depression Era America During the Depression people used cotton flour bags and feed sacks to make clothes, curtains, diapers, awnings and other household items. ... 3 Post Views: 117,046 The Lost Art of Cassette Design: 1980s The Lost Art of Cassette Design: 1980s Steve Vistaunet's photgraphs of cassette spine designs take us back to pressing 'play' and 'record' on to make compilation mixes. Spotters: Kadrey, Lefty Limbo, BoingBoing 2 Post Views: 13,615 Northern Ireland Troubles 1971: Belfast In 50 Photos Northern Ireland Troubles 1971: Belfast In 50 Photos In 1971, the Troubles in Belfast and the rest of Northern Ireland were in full cry. TIMELINE 10 January 1971 - Members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out an early form of 'punishment attack' by tarring and feathering four men who were accused of criminal activities in ... 1 Post Views: 51,667 Julie Newmar In Playboy, Photos And On Growing Old Julie Newmar In Playboy, Photos And On Growing Old Julie Newmar was Catgirl. On April 27, 2013, we went to see Julie take questions at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo at McCormick Place, in Chicago. Julie was the first Catwoman to TV's Batman. Her fabulous portrayal of the comic book temptress in the 1960s Batman has been praised ... 1 Post Views: 117,731 * Bob Hyde's 1960s London Photos - Exclusive to Flashbak Newprints shops * Recent Posts + Meet the Record-Breaking, Genre-Bending, Gender-Bending Artist Famed for His Erotica and Surrealist Paintings (NSFW) Meet the Record-Breaking, Genre-Bending, Gender-Bending Artist Famed for His Erotica and Surrealist Paintings (NSFW) + Ursula K. Le Guin's Daily Routine and Feeding Your Creative Mind Ursula K. Le Guin's Daily Routine and Feeding Your Creative Mind + Autistic Savant Gregory Blackstock's Gorgeous Visual Collections Autistic Savant Gregory Blackstock's Gorgeous Visual Collections + Shopping And Eating in Tokyo 1972 Shopping And Eating in Tokyo 1972 + Albina Felski: The Retiree Artist Who Painted It All Albina Felski: The Retiree Artist Who Painted It All * The Toni Frissell Collection New[fe26a141dfee4165b315fc466c568d68_84f69c55-7662-] * Homeware And More In The Shop New[klimt_900x-340x340] Please enable JavaScript to view comments powered by Disqus. You Might Also Like Ursula K. Le Guin's Daily Routine and Feeding Your Creative Mind Ursula K. Le Guin's Daily Routine and Feeding Your Creative Mind 0 Post Views: 548 From A to Zed: Press Pack for John Boorman's 'Zardoz' - 1974 From A to Zed: Press Pack for John Boorman's 'Zardoz' - 1974 0 Post Views: 1,460 Illustrated Lists of Great Writers and Artists Illustrated Lists of Great Writers and Artists 0 Post Views: 958 The Long Good Friday - How The Great British Gangster Film Got Its Name The Long Good Friday - How The Great British Gangster Film Got Its Name 0 Post Views: 1,687 Past Next Top * Contribute * About Our Shop * Advertise * Support Us With A Subscription * We Are * Contact Form * Archives * Terms, Conditions and Cookies * Returns & Refunds [ ] [OK] Leave this field empty if you're human: [ ] Alum Media Ltd. (c) 2021