Terms Which Have Disappeared

[HudsonHawk]

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?

And if I'm not mistaken, he's wearing a black belt with brown shoes. Egad.

 

[LizzieMaine]

One more pic of fashion-plate Frankie -- here he is the morning after l'affaire Magerkurth, about to appear before the Snyder Ave. magistrate's court. Note that he's holding the tattered remains of his knit shirt.

 

[Zombie_61]

...Note that he's holding the tattered remains of his knit shirt.

"Jeez, Yer Hawnah, lookit wot he did ta' my shoit!"

 

[2jakes]

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.

Found this one, not sure if it’s the one .

Looks like Magerkurth landed a good punch on Fashion-plate Frankie, which is evident in the photo posted by
the bartender showing Frankie’s puffy right cheek. A bystander wearing what appears to be an A-1 jacket watches
in the image above.





“Who’s on first?”

 

[Fading Fast]

I've been reasonably active reading and participating in this thread, so I don't think this one has come up before, but my apologies if it has. The phrase flimflam seems to have disappeared. Growing up, it seemed calling someone a flim-flam man or a business a flimflam place basically meant he or the business was out to scam or cheat its customers, that it wasn't a legitimate business offering value for its products or services. The word has a nice alliteration to it and is almost (not really) onomatopoetic - shame it seems gone.

 

[2jakes]

 

[Fading Fast]

I'm in junior college while she's playing in the pros.

 

[2jakes]

I'm in junior college while she's playing in the pros.

I know what you mean --- she’s in "a league of her own” !

while we are just...

I did try to say hello one time as she was passing by,
I believe she said “hi”,
or it could’ve been a belch, not exactly sure!

 

[Stearmen]

Speaking of umpires, "what a bum!"

 

[LizzieMaine]

Or its variant, "YA BUM YA!"

 

[LizzieMaine]

Looks like Magerkurth landed a good punch on Fashion-plate Frankie, which is evident in the photo posted by
the bartender showing Frankie’s puffy right cheek. A bystander wearing what appears to be an A-1 jacket watches
in the image above.

The leather-jacket guy is a member of the Ebbets Field ground crew, who were very snappily-uniformed for their work, as were the ushers -- who wore dark green tunics and military-styled peaked caps.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've been reasonably active reading and participating in this thread, so I don't think this one has come up before, but my apologies if it has. The phrase flimflam seems to have disappeared. Growing up, it seemed calling someone a flim-flam man or a business a flimflam place basically meant he or the business was out to scam or cheat its customers, that it wasn't a legitimate business offering value for its products or services. The word has a nice alliteration to it and is almost (not really) onomatopoetic - shame it seems gone.

There was a wonderfully-rich jargon for flim-flammers, who might also be called grifters, sharpsters, or gonifs -- the latter a Yiddish word meaning "thief." "Flim-flam" specifically implied a confidence artist who worked thru fast patter and high-pressure sales techniques -- the classic example being a sidewalk pitchman who sold cheap merchandise at excessive prices.

The burlesque comedian Sid Stone spent his entire career playing this type of character -- "You say yer not happy? You say ya want more for ya money? I'll tell ya what I'm gonna do!" Here he is in action:

 

[2jakes]

The leather-jacket guy is a member of the Ebbets Field ground crew, who were very snappily-uniformed for their work, as were the ushers -- who wore dark green tunics and military-styled peaked caps.

And the “leather-jacket" with buttons being of the Type A-1, father of the A-2 with the
zipper & leather collar that is devoutly worshipped in the other room of the lounge.

 

[Stanley Doble]

The Big Con is the classic study of con men in the golden era. It began as an academic study of underworld slang then the researcher got caught up in the con man's world. This is one of the original sources you can go to, to find out what life was really like in those days. The Sting was based on it.

 

[Stearmen]

Four Flusher!

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Going back to the using the Lord's name in vain conversation from a few pages back.

When I was a kid, and a teenager, using the Lord's name in vain was one of the few things that would result in an instant pop across the mouth from either of my parents. There was no reason for it, no excuse for it, it wasn't done.

Even to this day, my siblings and I, all in our 20's; it's not allowed. Every so often, my brother or sister will blow up and a J.C. or a G.D. will come out (I'm big against such language) and my folks will immediately reign that language back in. Though it's done so verbally, these days lol

 

[Fading Fast]

There was a wonderfully-rich jargon for flim-flammers, who might also be called grifters, sharpsters, or gonifs -- the latter a Yiddish word meaning "thief." "Flim-flam" specifically implied a confidence artist who worked thru fast patter and high-pressure sales techniques -- the classic example being a sidewalk pitchman who sold cheap merchandise at excessive prices.

The burlesque comedian Sid Stone spent his entire career playing this type of character -- "You say yer not happy? You say ya want more for ya money? I'll tell ya what I'm gonna do!" Here he is in action:

Just watching it exhausted me - thank you for posting.

 

[tonyb]

Flim-flam artists and uttering the Lord's name in vain on the same page! Visions of TV preachers! And pandering politicians!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Sid Stone missed his chance. He only sold Texaco oil.

 

[ChiTownScion]

I love arguing with religious types when they maintain that employing the usual G.D or J.C. is "using the Lord's name in vain." And I think my argument is solid.

The prohibition set forth in Exodus and Leviticus set forth in what we call "the Ten Commandments" refers to a name rendered in Hebrew by means of the tetragrammaton. Not any English word or name, as English as a language didn't exist at the time the commandment was reportedly given. "God" isn't a name- it's a title, perhaps a job description... but not a name. To "use the name of the Lord in vain" would mandate a knowledge of Hebrew that I wish I possess... but I really don't. Usually rendered as יהוה, the actual pronunciation of the tetragrammaton is a matter of speculation based upon a transliteration.

Then I offer this analogy: if your name is Jorge, your name may be seen as the rendition in English of George. However, "Jorge" is still your name- it isn't still "George," whether you're in Yonkers or Buenos Aires. The prohibition set forth in Exodus and Leviticus set forth in what we call "the Ten Commandments" prohibits use of a name- not the English language rendition of a name.

And as an alternative argument I point out that "using the name of the Lord in vain" is about taking an oath without proper intent- not verbalizing a curse.