The argot of the underworld has a poetry all its own. Consider the following.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe buttons don\u2019t like it when a slewfoot gets topped. Especially with his own gat by a gowed-up twist in a rib joint.\u201d<\/p>\n
To translate, see below:<\/p>\n
ankle<\/em> – walk, leave the scene<\/p>\n arm-breaker<\/em> – hired muscle<\/p>\n bangtail<\/em> – racehorse, also a prostitute<\/p>\n basted, boiled, oiled, out on the roof<\/em>, roofed, tanked<\/em> – drunk<\/p>\n beezer<\/em> – nose<\/p>\n belly gun<\/em> – short-barreled pistol<\/p>\n berries, cabbage, plasters, snaps<\/em> – cash money, dollar bill<\/p>\n bindlestiff<\/em> – hobo, migrant worker<\/p>\n bitch kitty<\/em> – an obnoxious woman or girl<\/p>\n blower<\/em> – telephone<\/p>\n boiler<\/em> – car<\/p>\n bollixed<\/em> – fouled up<\/p>\n bones <\/em>– dice<\/p>\n box job<\/em> – safe cracking<\/p>\n bughouse <\/em>– insane asylum<\/p>\n bull bitch <\/em>\u2013 a masculine woman<\/p>\n bulls<\/em> – railroad police, prison guards<\/p>\n burleycue <\/em>\u2013 burlesque show<\/p>\n busted flush <\/em>– a bad deal, a failure<\/p>\n butter and egg man<\/em> – the man with the money<\/p>\n buttons, elbows, goms, Johns, muzzlers <\/em>– cops<\/p>\n buzzer, potsy, tin<\/em> – a policeman\u2019s badge<\/p>\n C, C-note<\/em> – hundred dollar bill<\/p>\n caboose, icehouse, jug, sneezer <\/em>– jail<\/p>\n cackle-broad<\/em> – a society woman<\/p>\n cake eater<\/em> – a dandy, a ladies\u2019 man<\/p>\n California bible, California prayer book <\/em>– deck of playing cards<\/p>\n to can<\/em> – incarcerate<\/p>\n Chicago overcoat <\/em>– a casket<\/p>\n Chicago typewriter<\/em> – a machine gun<\/p>\n to chill, clip, grease, ice,<\/em> push, spot, top, top off <\/em>\u00a0– kill<\/p>\n Chinese angle<\/em> – unusual twist<\/p>\n to chump <\/em>–\u00a0 fool, put one over on<\/p>\n to clank<\/em> – panic<\/p>\n clean sneak<\/em> – a successful getaway<\/p>\n coffin nail, gasper, pill <\/em>– cigarette<\/p>\n coffin varnish, panther piss, phlegm cutter, tarantula soup <\/em>– cheap liquor<\/p>\n corn, cush, geetus, jack <\/em>– money<\/p>\n creep joint<\/em> – a gambling parlor that migrates to avoid detection<\/p>\n croaker<\/em> – doctor<\/p>\n the crop<\/em> – all of it<\/p>\n dangle, drift<\/em>, dust, dust out<\/em> – go, leave<\/p>\n darb<\/em> – a beautiful woman, anything of high quality<\/p>\n deek<\/em> – detective<\/p>\n dib<\/em> – share of the loot<\/p>\n dinch<\/em> – cigarette butt<\/p>\n ding donger<\/em> – aggressive person<\/p>\n dinge joint, shinebox <\/em>– a black only bar or club<\/p>\n dipsy doodle<\/em> – chicanery<\/p>\n dog wagon <\/em>– cheap restaurant<\/p>\n eel juice<\/em> – liquor<\/p>\n eightball<\/em> – a loser<\/p>\n have your elbows checked<\/em> – get arrested<\/p>\n fin<\/em> – five dollar bill<\/p>\n that\u2019s flat<\/em> – that\u2019s for certain<\/p>\n frail, jane,\u00a0 twist, wren<\/em> – a woman or girl<\/p>\n frogskin<\/em> – dollar bill<\/p>\n to gaff<\/em> – shortchange<\/p>\n gams, pins, stems<\/em> – a woman\u2019s legs<\/p>\n gat, heater, iron, piece, rod, roscoe, tickler <\/em>– a handgun<\/p>\n get a can on<\/em>, tie a bag<\/em> on<\/em> – get drunk<\/p>\n gink<\/em> – a stupid man<\/p>\n to glim,<\/em> to hinge<\/em> – see, take a look<\/p>\n to glom<\/em> – seize, steal<\/p>\n goozle <\/em>– throat<\/p>\n gow, hop <\/em>– heroin, any narcotic<\/p>\n gunsel<\/em> – an armed criminal, also a young homosexual<\/p>\n Harlem sunset<\/em> – a fatality with a knife<\/p>\n head full of\u00a0 bees <\/em>– crazy or confused<\/p>\n heaters, peepers<\/em> – eyes<\/p>\n heeled<\/em> – carrying a gun<\/p>\n highbinder<\/em> – a corrupt politician<\/p>\n high pillow <\/em>– the boss<\/p>\n hotcha<\/em> – desirable, especially a woman<\/p>\n hype <\/em>– a junkie<\/p>\n ing bing<\/em> – a fit, an outburst<\/p>\n in jigtime<\/em> – quickly<\/p>\n jingle brained<\/em> – addled<\/p>\n to jug<\/em> – to incarcerate<\/p>\n juice dealer<\/em> – a loan shark<\/p>\n kelly, lid, skimmer<\/em> – a man\u2019s hat<\/p>\n kick<\/em> – complaint<\/p>\n the lay <\/em>– the setup, the arrangement<\/p>\n to lay paper<\/em> – to pass counterfeit cash or bad checks<\/p>\n left handed <\/em>– dubious, unlucky<\/p>\n loogan<\/em> –\u00a0 a hoodlum, especially Irish<\/p>\n lox jockey<\/em> – a Jew<\/p>\n lunch hooks<\/em> – hands<\/p>\n map<\/em> – face<\/p>\n meat wagon <\/em>– ambulance<\/p>\n Mexican breakfast <\/em>– a glass of water and a cigarette<\/p>\n the mop<\/em> – the final word, the summation of events<\/p>\n mush, yap <\/em>– mouth<\/p>\n nance <\/em>– an effeminate man<\/p>\n to nick<\/em> – take money from<\/p>\n nippers<\/em> – handcuffs<\/p>\n on the nut, on my uppers<\/em> – broke<\/p>\n on the pad<\/em> – on the take<\/p>\n orphan paper<\/em> – a bad check<\/p>\n oyster fruit<\/em> – pearls<\/p>\n palm oil, salve<\/em> – a bribe<\/p>\n to peach, <\/em>to squeal<\/em>, to turn up <\/em>– inform<\/p>\n pissing on ice<\/em> – living well<\/p>\n plaster<\/em> – a tail, also a banknote<\/p>\n poke<\/em> – wallet, bankroll<\/p>\n pro skirt <\/em>– a prostitute<\/p>\n rats and mice<\/em> – dice, craps<\/p>\n rib joint <\/em>– a brothel<\/p>\n rub joint<\/em> – a hall with taxi dancers<\/p>\n rug joint <\/em>– a fancy nightclub<\/p>\n What\u2019s the rumble<\/em>?- what\u2019s going on?<\/p>\n sawbuck<\/em> – ten dollars<\/p>\n scatter <\/em>– a room or hideout, also a speakeasy or club<\/p>\n second-story man<\/em> -a burglar<\/p>\n to send over<\/em> – betray<\/p>\n to shag<\/em> \u2013 tail, chase<\/p>\n on the shake, <\/em>to shake<\/em> – blackmail, extortion<\/p>\n shamus<\/em> – private eye, also a police informer<\/p>\n sheever<\/em> \u2013 a traitor, police informer<\/p>\n slapman<\/em> – an undercover cop<\/p>\n slewfoot <\/em>– a cop<\/p>\n smoke<\/em> – a black person, also to kill with a gun<\/p>\n