Glossary

STORIES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE reflect the words and expressions used in the 1930s and 1940s, adding unique flavor and authenticity to the tales. While a character’s speech may often reflect regional origins, it also can convey attitudes common in the day. So that readers can better grasp such cultural and historical terms, uncommon words or expressions of the era, the following glossary has been provided.

apache: a gangster or thug. The term was first used in 1902 by a French journalist to describe a member of a gang of criminals in Paris noted for their crimes of violence. Their savagery was compared with the reputation the Europeans attributed to the Native American tribes of Apache Indians. → to text

banshee:(Irish legend) a female spirit whose wailing warns of a death in a house. → to text

be hanged: used to express exasperation or disgust. → to text

blackjack: a short, leather-covered club, consisting of a heavy head on a flexible handle, used as a weapon. → to text

bluecoats: policemen. → to text

bo: pal; buster; fellow. → to text

bullpen: a holding cell where prisoners are confined together temporarily; in the 1800s, jails and holding cells were nicknamed bullpens, in respect of many police officers’ bullish features—strength and short temper. → to text

bulls: cops; police officers. → to text

bump: to kill. → to text

calaboose: a jail. → to text

cowl: the top portion of the front part of an automobile body, supporting the windshield and dashboard. → to text

cretonne: a heavy cotton material in colorfully printed designs, used especially for drapery or slipcovers. → to text

degree rooms: third-degree rooms; interrogation rooms; rooms of mental or physical torture used to obtain information or a confession from a prisoner. → to text

dope: information, data or news. → to text

drill: shoot. → to text

excelsior: packing material made from wood shavings. → to text

fire-eaters: firemen; firefighters. → to text

flatfoot: a police officer; cop. → to text

gat: a gun. → to text

giddap: get up or go ahead. → to text

gilt-frogged: garment with gold-colored ornamental fasteners consisting of a loop of braid and button or knot that fits into the loop. → to text

G-men: government men; agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. → to text

gone: provided (bail) for an arrested person. → to text

hard-boiled: tough; unsentimental. → to text

haymaker: a powerful blow with the fist. → to text

jack: money. → to text

jig’s up, the:it’s all over; usually referring to a scam, trick or plot that has been found out and foiled before it could come to fruition. → to text

kerchief: handkerchief. → to text

Merthiolate: a trademark name for thimerosal, a cream-colored crystalline powder used as a local antiseptic for abrasions and minor cuts. → to text

mitts: hands. → to text

mouthpiece: a lawyer, especially a criminal lawyer. → to text

mugs: hoodlums; thugs; criminals. → to text

nickel barrel: siren, from the outside cylindrical part or casing of a siren that is nickel plated or colored. → to text

Palo Alto hat: a wide-brimmed slouch hat with a chinstrap most commonly worn as part of a military uniform, resembling the original Stetson that was called “Boss of the Plains.”→ to text

petcock: a small valve used to control the flow of gas. → to text

pile out: to move out. → to text

pipe: cinch; someone or something that is easy and presents no problems. → to text

pipe the dick: to look at, notice the detective. → to text

powder, take a: to make a speedy departure; run away. → to text

put ya wise: tell you; give you the information. → to text

queered: spoiled; ruined; put wrong. → to text

ride, take for a: to take out in a car intending to murder. → to text

right guy: good guy. → to text

roadster: another name for a police car. → to text

Roman candle: a type of fireworks giving off flaming colored balls and sparks. → to text

rubber hose: a piece of hose made of rubber, used to beat people as a form of torture or in order to obtain a full or partial confession and to elicit information. A rubber hose was used because its blows, while painful, leave only slight marks on the body of the person beaten. → to text

sand blotting box: a box with a perforated top containing fine sand for sprinkling on wet ink. After absorbing and drying the ink, the sand was poured back into the blotting box to be used again. → to text

sap: blackjack; a short, leather-covered club, consisting of a heavy head on a flexible handle, used as a weapon. → to text

sapped: knocked out with a blackjack. → to text

Scheherazade: the female narrator of The Arabian Nights, who during one thousand and one adventurous nights saved her life by entertaining her husband, the king, with stories. → to text

slug: a bullet. → to text

smoke-eaters: firemen. → to text

speakeasy: a bar for the illegal sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks. → to text

spokes: the rods that join the edge of the steering wheel to its center. → to text

Stetson: as the most popular broad-brimmed hat in the West, it became the generic name for hat. John B. Stetson was a master hat maker and founder of the company that has been making Stetsons since 1865. → to text

Thompson submachine gun: a type of machine gun that fires short pistol rounds; named after its creator, John Taliaferro Thompson, who produced the first model in 1919. → to text

uncle: surrender; indicate a willingness to give up a fight. → to text