Terms Which Have Disappeared

[LizzieMaine]

I'm reminded of Rick Steves (the PBS travel guru) riffing on the Iranian manner of cursing. It was "death to the Shah," and "death to Israel" and "death to the United States." Steves told of riding through snarled traffic in a taxicab in Tehran when the driver shook his fist and said "death to the traffic."

Steves likened it to the American use of "damn." When we say "damn those kids," we don't mean we wish for them to suffer hellfire for all eternity. Indeed, we mean nothing of the sort. After all, who hasn't heard an American cabbie say "damn this traffic," which is every bit as non-literal (or nonsensical, if one allows for only one definition of the word) as wishing "death" to the traffic.

Likewise when we yell "KILL THE UMPIRE" we don't mean to actually murder him.

Well, most of us anyway.

 

[Fading Fast]

Likewise when we yell "KILL THE UMPIRE" we don't mean to actually murder him.

Well, most of us anyway.

Are we talking a playoff game or early in the 162 game season?

 

[Fading Fast]

...I heard someone say "pipe down"! the other day, and it brought back fond memories of my father using the same expression. Meaning (for him) anything from "be quiet" to "shut up" to a simple "lower your voice", it's not something one hears much, at least in my neck of the woods (something else I hear less and less often).

Good one, "pipe down" was reasonably common growing up, but your are right, seems to be disappearing.

Your post got me to thinking about the origin of the phrase and a quick Google search turned this up on "The Phrase Finder" website:

Origin

On sailing ships signals were given to the crew by sounding the boatswain's (bo'sun's) pipe. One such was 'piping down the hammocks' which was the signal to go below decks and retire for the night. When an officer wanted a sailor to be dismissed below he would have him 'piped down'.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Are we talking a playoff game or early in the 162 game season?

It was the pennant stretch in 1940 -- the Reds had just beaten the Dodgers in a ten-inning game at Ebbets Field, in which a close call went against Brooklyn to allow Cincinnati to score the go-ahead run. This loyal son of Canarsie, 21-year-old Frankie Germano, leaped out of the stands and proceeded to beat the snot out of umpire George "Meathead" Magerkurth, even though it was fellow umpire Bill Stewart who had made the questionable call. Magerkurth was viewed in a particularly low odor by Dodger fans, so even though the fan made a mistake -- "They all look alike in them blue suits" -- there was considerable support for his effort.

Germano spent the night in the neighborhood jug, and appeared before a sympathetic judge the next morning. Magerkurth, realizing the peculiarities of Flatbush justice, declined to press charges, but because Germano was out on parole from a previous incident, he went back to jail anyway. The National League then proceeded to even further fan the flames by suspending Dodger manager Leo Durocher for five days for "inciting a riot." Durocher had, over the course of the game, offered several loud and pungent comments from the dugout relating to Magerkurth's visual acuity, his legitimacy, and his assumed sexual proclivities. Several of Leo's favorite insults were phrases which, alas, have never gone out of style.

 

[tonyb]

Whatever.

May the god of your choice bless you.

 

[Dirk Wainscotting]

In England people used to say "belt up" as in 'shape yourself and give it a rest' (when a person was being tiresome). My grandad used to say that certain people needed a "good punch up the bracket".

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^^

"A swift kick in the pants" had a similar meaning. Seemed a common expression as recently as my childhood years, when older folks could be heard saying "ain't nuttin' wrong wit dat boy dat a swift kick in da pants wouldn't fix," or words to that effect.

 

[Harp]

The National League then proceeded to even further fan the flames by suspending Dodger manager Leo Durocher for five days for "inciting a riot." Durocher had, over the course of the game, offered several loud and pungent comments from the dugout relating to Magerkurth's visual acuity, his legitimacy, and his assumed sexual proclivities. Several of Leo's favorite insults were phrases which, alas, have never gone out of style.

I remember when Leo managed the Cubs. And he appeared as himself in The Munsters. Great guy.

 

[ChiTownScion]

The National League then proceeded to even further fan the flames by suspending Dodger manager Leo Durocher for five days for "inciting a riot." Durocher had, over the course of the game, offered several loud and pungent comments from the dugout relating to Magerkurth's visual acuity, his legitimacy, and his assumed sexual proclivities. Several of Leo's favorite insults were phrases which, alas, have never gone out of style.

How well I remember those days when we had Leo on the North Side managing the Cubs and Eddie Stanky on the South Side managing the White Sox. The teams were less than stellar on the field, but the managers always provided good copy for the papers.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Stanky was always a favorite around here after he called Carl Yastrzemski "an All-Star from the neck down."

 

[MisterCairo]

I had a feeling it had nautical origins, thanks!

SR,
LCdr
RCN

Good one, "pipe down" was reasonably common growing up, but your are right, seems to be disappearing.

Your post got me to thinking about the origin of the phrase and a quick Google search turned this up on "The Phrase Finder" website:

Origin

On sailing ships signals were given to the crew by sounding the boatswain's (bo'sun's) pipe. One such was 'piping down the hammocks' which was the signal to go below decks and retire for the night. When an officer wanted a sailor to be dismissed below he would have him 'piped down'.

 

[Stearmen]

Whatever.

Anyhoo....

I heard someone say "pipe down"! the other day, and it brought back fond memories of my father using the same expression. Meaning (for him) anything from "be quiet" to "shut up" to a simple "lower your voice", it's not something one hears much, at least in my neck of the woods (something else I hear less and less often).

Conversely, people would say Pipe Up, as in, If anyone has an idea pipe up now!

 

[HudsonHawk]

It was the pennant stretch in 1940 -- the Reds had just beaten the Dodgers in a ten-inning game at Ebbets Field, in which a close call went against Brooklyn to allow Cincinnati to score the go-ahead run. This loyal son of Canarsie, 21-year-old Frankie Germano, leaped out of the stands and proceeded to beat the snot out of umpire George "Meathead" Magerkurth, even though it was fellow umpire Bill Stewart who had made the questionable call. Magerkurth was viewed in a particularly low odor by Dodger fans, so even though the fan made a mistake -- "They all look alike in them blue suits" -- there was considerable support for his effort.

Germano spent the night in the neighborhood jug, and appeared before a sympathetic judge the next morning. Magerkurth, realizing the peculiarities of Flatbush justice, declined to press charges, but because Germano was out on parole from a previous incident, he went back to jail anyway. The National League then proceeded to even further fan the flames by suspending Dodger manager Leo Durocher for five days for "inciting a riot." Durocher had, over the course of the game, offered several loud and pungent comments from the dugout relating to Magerkurth's visual acuity, his legitimacy, and his assumed sexual proclivities. Several of Leo's favorite insults were phrases which, alas, have never gone out of style.

The play in question was a potential double play ball at 2B. Dodger second baseman Pete Coscarart took the flip at 2B and went to turn to throw to 1B, only he dropped the ball. Stewart originally ruled that he lost the ball on the transfer, and the Reds' runner from 1B was out on the force. Reds manager Bill McKechnie protested loudly, and Stewart then asked for help from Magerkurth, who ruled no catch, and the runner safe at 2B. After a long delay, during which Durocher wove his tapestry of obscenities and eventually got the thumb, the next batter hit a sacrifice fly for what ended up being the winning run.

The story in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle the next day read "the Reds and Dodgers closed their 1940 business operations with another strange site - that of George Magerkurth, the burly umpire, lying flat on his back while a highly indignant Brooklyn fan industriously pummeled him with both fists." But the best line of the story was the last..." - And all that is what Larry MacPhail missed by starting for Canada to hunt moose." They just don't write em like that anymore.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Thanks for digging that up -- I knew Stewart was mixed up in the play it somewhere.

The best thing about the whole incident is that Magerkurth was a former pro boxer -- and Germano was this little tubby kid just five feet tall. I remember seeing, but frustratingly can't find online, a piece from one of the New York papers discussing his death a few years ago -- apparently he'd never quite gotten over the notoriety that stemmed from the incident, and it still haunted him seventy years later.

 

[Fading Fast]

^ If I've followed this correctly, then Magerkurth, the umpire getting pummeled by the fan, was a professional boxer which means he must have made a conscious decision not to hit back as professional boxers deliver blows that will, with ease, lay out an average person. Even an older and maybe out of shape former pro boxer can still deliver an impressive blow. He probably knew he would inflict potentially life threatening damage if he hit someone and, thus, decided not to throw a punch. I've known of few pro boxers (nobody famous) and they deliver punches with an insane amount of concentrated force.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Magerkurth, to his credit, had a sense of humor about the whole affair. He knew he was not a beloved figure in Brooklyn -- and probably figured this was just par for the course.

The Maje did get a few pokes in before he went down. He was almost a foot and a half taller than Germano, which gave the whole tussle the feeling of a toy bulldog going after a mastiff.

Photos taken after the incident show Germano being led away by cops with his shirt torn in half, Captain Kirk style, and when he appeared in court the next morning, he did so in his undershirt.

There's a story that years later, Germano was arrested for another petty offense and brought before Judge Samuel J. Leibowitz. Leibowitz was an avid Dodger fan, and recognized Germano, who then, supposedly, confessed that he had leaped on the field as a distraction while a pickpocket accomplice worked the stands. Leibowitz was not averse to embellishing stories, however, and Germano late in life hotly denied that he'd been in league with any dip that day.

And when was the last time you heard of a pickpocket being called a "dip."

 

[HudsonHawk]

We really need a sports forum here. Sports in the Era was exceptionally colorful and entertaining, not to mention often a representation of everyday life at the time.

 

[Fading Fast]

Lizzie, great Captain Kirk reference - he did love the gratuitous ripped shirt.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Speaking of fashion, I wonder what the menswear enthusiasts would think about Frankie going to the ballgame wearing what appears to be some sort of knit pocket T-shirt -- it's not a polo shirt because there's no collar or placket at the neck -- and pleated front dress pants with the cuffs rolled up. Can't a Brooklyn roughneck afford a proper tailor?

I think a Vintage Sports subforum would be quite the thing.

 

[HudsonHawk]

I think a Vintage Sports subforum would be quite the thing.

You're the barkeep...perhaps you can suggest one at the next FL corporate boondoggle.