A Glossary of Hardboiled

Source.

A Alderman — A man's pot belly.  Ameche — Telephone.  Ankle — (n) Woman; (v) To walk. B Babe — Woman. Baby — A person, can be said to either a man or a woman. Bangtails — Racehorses. Barber — Talk. Baumes Rush — Senator Caleb H. Baumes sponsored a New York law (the Baumes Law) which called for automatic life imprisonment of any criminal convicted more than three times. Some criminals would move to a state that didn't have this law in order to avoid its penalty should they be caught again, and this was known as a "Baumes rush," because of the similarity to "bum's rush." Be on the Nut, To — To be broke. Bean-shooter — Gun. Beezer — Nose. Behind the Eight-ball — In a difficult position, in a tight spot.  Bent Cars — Stolen cars.  Berries — Dollars.  Big house — Jail. Big one, The — Death.  Big sleep, The — Death (coined by Chandler). Bim — Woman. Bindle (of heroin) — Little folded-up piece of paper (with heroin inside). Bindle Punk, Bindle Stiff — Chronic wanderers; itinerant misfits, criminals, migratory harvest workers, and lumber jacks. Called so because they carried a "bindle." George and Lenny in Of Mice and Men are bindle stiffs. Bing — Jailhouse talk for solitary confinement, hence "crazy." Bird — Man. Bit — Prison sentence.  Blip off — To kill. Blow — Leave. Blow One Down — Kill someone. Blower — Telephone. Bo — Pal, buster, fellow, as in "Hey, bo." Boiler — Car. Boob — Dumb guy. Boozehound — Drunkard. Bop — To kill. Box — A safe; a bar. Box Job — A safecracking. Brace (somebody)  — Grab, shake up. Bracelets — Handcuffs. Break it up — Stop that, quit the nonsense. Breeze — To leave, go; also breeze off; get lost. Broad — Woman. Broderick, The — A thorough beating. Bruno — Tough guy, enforcer. Bucket — Car. Bulge, as in "The kid had the bulge there" — The advantage. Bulls — Plainclothes railroad cops; uniformed police; prison guards. Bum's Rush, To get the — To be kicked out. Bump — Kill. Bump Gums — To talk about nothing worthwhile. Bump off — Kill; also, bump-off; a killing. Buncoing Some (people) — Defrauding people. Bunk —"Take a bunk" - leave, disappear; "that's the bunk" - that's false, untrue; "to bunk" - to sleep. Bunny, as in "Don't be a bunny" — Don't be stupid. Burn Powder — Fire a gun. Bus — Big car. Butter and Egg Man — The money man, the man with the bankroll, a yokel who comes to town to blow a big wad in nightclubs (see reference). Button — Face, nose, end of jaw. Button Man — Professional killer. Buttons — Police. Butts — Cigarettes. Buy a Drink — To pour a drink. Buzz, as in "I'm in the dump an hour and the house copper gives me the buzz" — Looks me up, comes to my door. Buzzer — Policeman's badge. C C — $100, a pair of Cs = $200. Cabbage — Money. Caboose — Jail (from "calaboose," which derives from calabozo, the Spanish word for "jail"). Call Copper — Inform the police Can — Jail; car. Can House — Bordello. Can-opener — Safecracker who opens cheap safes. Canary — Woman singer. Case Dough — "Nest egg ... the theoretically untouchable reserve for emergencies" (Speaking). Cat — Man. Century — $100. Cheaters — Sunglasses. Cheese it — Put things away, hide. Chew — Eat. Chicago Lightning — Gunfire. Chicago Overcoat — Coffin. Chick — Woman. Chilled off — Killed. Chin — Conversation; chinning — talking. Chin Music — Punch on the jaw. Chippy — Woman of easy virtue. Chisel — To swindle or cheat. Chiv, Chive — Knife. Chopper Squad — Men with machine guns. Clammed — Close-mouthed (clammed up). Clean Sneak — An escape with no clues left behind. Clip Joint — In some cases, a night-club where the prices are high and the patrons are fleeced (Partridge's), but in Pick-Up a casino where the tables are fixed. Clipped — Shot. Close your Head — Shut up. Clout — Shoplifter. Clubhouse — Police station. Coffee-and-doughnut, as in "These coffee-and-doughnut guns are ..." — Could come from "coffee and cakes," which refers to something cheap or of little value. Con — Confidence game, swindle. Conk — Head. Cool — To knock out. Cooler — Jail. Cop — Detective, even a private one; to win, as in a bet. Copped, To be — Grabbed by the cops. Copper —  Policeman; time off for good behaviour. Corn — Bourbon ("corn liquor"). Crab — Figure out. Crate — Car. Creep Joint — Can mean a whorehouse where the girls are pickpockets. Croak — To kill. Croaker — Doctor. Crushed out — Escaped (from jail). Cush — Money (a cushion, something to fall back on). Cut down — Killed. D Daisy — None too masculine. Dame — Woman. Dance — To be hanged. Dangle — Leave, get lost. Darb — Something remarkable or superior. Daylight, as in "let the daylight in" or "fill him with daylight" — Put a hole in, by shooting or stabbing. Deck, as in "deck of Luckies" — Pack of cigarettes. Derrick — Shoplifter. Diapers, as in "Pin your diapers on" — Clothes, get dressed. Dib — Share (of the proceeds). Dick — Detective (usually qualified with "private" if not a policeman). Dingus — Thing. Dip — Pickpocket. Dip the Bill — Have a drink. Dish — Pretty woman. Dive — A low-down, cheap sort of place. Dizzy with a Dame, To be — To be deeplyPost Options in love with a woman. Do the Dance — To be hanged. Dogs — Feet. Doll, Dolly — Woman. Dope — Drugs, of any sort; information; as a verb, as in "I had him doped as" - to have figured for. Dope Fiend — Drug addict. Dope Peddler — Drug dealer. Dormy — Dormant, quiet, as in "Why didn't you lie dormy in the place you climbed to?" Dough — Money. Drift — Go, leave. Drill — Shoot. Drink out of the Same Bottle, as in "We used to drink out of the same bottle" — We were close friends. Drop a Dime — Make a phone call, sometimes meaning to the police to inform on someone. Droppers — Hired killers. Drum — Speakeasy. Dry-gulch — Knock out, hit on head after ambushing. Ducat —  Ticket; for hobos, a union card or card asking for alms. Duck Soup — Easy, a piece of cake. Dummerer — Somebody who pretends to be (deaf and?) dumb in order to appear a more deserving beggar. Dump — Roadhouse, club; or, more generally, any place. Dust — Nothing, as in "Tinhorns are dust to me"; leave, depart, as in "Let's dust"; look, as in "Let's give it the dust." Dust out — Leave, depart. Dutch — As in "in dutch" - trouble; as in "A girl pulled the Dutch act" - committed suicide. E Eel Juice — Liquor. Egg — Man. Eggs in the Coffee — Easy, a piece of cake, okay, all right. Elbow — Policeman. A collar or an arrest. Someone being arrested will "have their elbows checked." Electric Cure — Electrocution. Elephant Ears — Police. F Fade — Go away, get lost. Fakeloo Artist — Con man. Fin — $5 bill. Finder — Finger man. Finger, Put the Finger on — Identify. Flat —  Broke. As in "That's flat" - that's for sure, undoubtedly.  Flattie — Flatfoot, cop. Flimflam(m) — Swindle. Flippers — Hands. Flivver — A Ford automobile. Flogger — Overcoat. Flop — Go to bed. As in "The racket's flopped" - fallen through, not worked out. Flophouse — "A cheap transient hotel where a lot of men sleep in large rooms." Fog — To shoot. Frail — Woman. Frau — Wife. Fry — To be electrocuted. From Nothing, as in "I know from nothing" — I don't know anything. G Gams — Legs (especially a woman's). Gashouse, as in "getting gashouse" — Rough. Gasper — Cigarette. Gat — Gun. Gate, as in "Give her the gate" — The door, as in leave. Gaycat — "A young punk who runs with an older tramp and there is always a connotation of homosexuality." Gee — Man. Geetus — Money. Getaway Sticks — Legs (especially a woman's). Giggle Juice — Liquor. Gin Mill — Bar. Gink — Man. Girlie — Woman. Give a/the Third — Interrogate (third degree). Glad Rags — Fancy clothes. Glom — To steal. To see, to take a look. Glaum — Steal. Go Climb up Your Thumb — Go away, get lost. Go over the Edge with the Rams — To get far too drunk. Go to Read and Write — Rhyming slang for take flight. Gonif — Thief (Yiddish). Goofy — Crazy. Goog — Black eye. Goon — Thug. Goose — Man. Gooseberry Lay — Stealing clothes from a clothesline. Gowed-up — On dope, high. Grab (a little) Air — Put your hands up. Graft — Con jobs. Cut of the take. Grand — $1000. Greasers —  A hoodlum, thief or punk. Grift — As in "What's the grift?" — What are you trying to pull? Confidence game, swindle. Grifter — Con man. Grilled — Questioned. Gum — As in "Don't ... gum every play I make" — Gum up, interfere with. Opium. Gum-shoe — Detective; also gumshoeing = detective work. Gun for — Look for, be after. Guns — Pickpockets. Hoodlums. Gunsel — Gunman. Catamite. An informer; a weasel; an unscrupulous person. H Hack — Taxi. Half, A —50 cents. Hammer and Saws — Police (rhyming slang for laws). Hard — Tough. Hash House — A cheap restaurant. Hatchetmen — Killers, gunmen. Have the Bees — To be rich. Have the Curse on Someone — Wanting to see someone killed. Head Doctors — Psychiatrists. Heap — Car. Heat — A gun, also heater. Heeled — Carrying a gun. High Pillow — Person at the top, in charge.  Highbinders - Corrupt politician or functionary. Professional killer. Hinky — Suspicious. Hitting the Pipe — Smoking opium. Hitting on all Eight — In good shape, going well (refers to eight cylinders in an engine). Hock Shop — Pawnshop. Hogs — Engines. Hombre — Man, fellow. Hooch — Liquor. Hood — Criminal. Hooker, as in "a stiff hooker of whiskey" — A drink of strong liquor. Hoosegow — Jail. Hop — Drugs, mostly morphine or derivatives like heroin. Bell-hop. Hop-head — Drug addict, esp. heroin. Horn — Telephone. Hot — Stolen. House Dick — House/hotel detective. House Peeper — House/hotel detective. Hype — Shortchange artist. I Ice  — Diamonds. In stir — In jail. Ing-bing, as in to throw an — A fit. Iron — A car.

J Jack — Money. Jake, Jakeloo — Okay. Jam — Trouble, as in "in a jam." Jane — A woman. Jasper — A man (perhaps a hick). Java — Coffee. Jaw — Talk. Jerking a Nod — Nodding. Jingle-Brained — Addled. Jobbie — Man. Joe — Coffee, as in "a cup of joe." Johns — Police. Johnson Brother — Criminal. Joint — Place, as in "my joint." Jorum of Skee — Shot of liquor. Juice — Interest on a loanshark's loan. Jug — Jail. Jujus — Marijuana cigarettes. Jump, The — A hanging. K Kale — Money. Kick, as in "I got no kick" — I have nothing to complain about. Kick off — Die. Kiss — To punch. Kisser — Mouth. Kitten — Woman. Knock off — Kill. Knockover — Heist, theft. L Lammed off — Ran away, escaped. Large — $1,000; twenty large would be $20,000. Law, the — The police. Lay —  Job, as in Marlowe saying he's on "a confidential lay;" or more generally, what someone does, as in "The hotel-sneak used to be my lay." As in "I gave him the lay" - I told him where things stood (as in lay of the of land). Lead Poisoning — To be shot. Lettuce — Folding money. Lid — Hat. Lip — (Criminal) lawyer. Lit, To be — To be drunk. Loogan — Marlowe defines this as "a guy with a gun." Looker — Pretty woman. Look-out — Outside man. Lousy with — To have lots of. Lug —  Bullet. Ear. Man ("You big lug!") Lunger — Someone with tuberculosis. M Made — Recognized. Map — Face. Marbles — Pearls. Mark — Sucker, victim of swindle or fixed game. Mazuma — Money. Meat, as in "He's your meat" — He's the subject of interest, there's your man. Meat Wagon — Ambulance. Mesca — Marijuana. Mickey Finn —  (n) A drink drugged with knock-out drops. (v) Take a Mickey Finn — Take off, leave. Mill — Typewriter. Mitt — Hand. Mob — Gang (not necessarily Mafia). Moll — Girlfriend. Monicker — Name. Mouthpiece — Lawyer. Mud-pipe — Opium pipe. Mug — Face. Muggles — Marijuana. Mugs — Men (esp. dumb ones). Mush — Face. N Nailed — Caught by the police. Nance — An effeminate man. Nevada Gas — Cyanide. Newshawk — Reporter. Newsie — Newspaper vendor. Nibble One — To have a drink. Nicked — Stole. Nippers — Handcuffs. Nix on (something) — No to (something). Noodle — Head. Nose-candy — Heroin, in some cases. Number — A person, can be either a man or a woman. O Off the Track, as in "He was too far off the track. Strictly section eight" — Said about a man who becomes insanely violent. Op — Detective (esp. private), from "operative." Orphan Paper — Bad cheques. Out on the Roof, To be — To drink a lot, to be drunk. Oyster Fruit — Pearls. P Pack — To carry, esp. a gun. Palooka — Man, probably a little stupid. Pan — Face. Paste — Punch. Patsy — Person who is set up; fool, chump. Paw — Hand. Peaching — Informing. Pearl Diver — Dish-washer. Peeper — Detective. Pen — Penitentiary, jail. Peterman — Safecracker who uses nitroglycerin. Pigeon — Stool-pigeon. Pill — Bullet; cigarette. Pinch — An arrest, capture. Pins — Legs (especially a woman's). Pipe — See or notice. Pipe that — Get that, listen to that. Pipes — Throat. Pitching Woo — Making love (Turner). Plant —  (n) Someone on the scene but in hiding; (v) bury. Plug — Shoot. Plugs — People. Poke — Bankroll, stake; punch (as in "take a poke at"). Pooped — Killed. Pop — Kill. Pro Skirt — Prostitute. Puffing — Mugging. Pug — Pugilist, boxer. Pump — Heart. Pump Metal — Shoot bullets. Punk — Hood, thug; "a jailhouse sissy who is on the receiving end." (Also as a verb, as in "to get punked.") Puss — Face. Put Down — Drink. Put the Screws on — Question, get tough with. Q Queer —  (n) Counterfeit; (n) sexually. (v) to ruin something or put it wrong ("queer this racket.") R Rags — Clothes. Ranked — Observed, watched, given the once-over. Rap — Criminal charge; information, as in "He gave us the rap"; hit. Rappers — Fakes, set-ups. Rat — Inform. Rate — To be good, to count for something. Rats and Mice — Dice, i.e. craps. Rattler — Train. Red-light — To eject from a car or train. Redhot — Some sort of criminal. Reefers — Marijuana cigarettes. Rhino — Money. Ribbed up — Set up, arranged for. Right — Adjective indicating quality. Right Gee, Right Guy — A good fellow. Ringers — Fakes. Rod — Gun. Roscoe — Gun. Roundheels — A fighter with a glass jaw; woman of easy virtue. Rub-out — A killing. Rumble, the — The news. Run-out, to Take the  — Leave, escape. S Sap —  A dumb guy; a blackjack. Sap Poison — Getting hit with a sap. Savvy? — Get me? Understand? Sawbuck — $10 bill (a double sawbuck is a $20 bill). Scatter, as in "And don't bother to call your house peeper and send him up to the scatter — Saloon or speakeasy; hideout, a room or lodging. Schnozzle — Nose. Scram out — Leave. Scratch — Money. Scratcher — Forger. Screw — Leave, as in "Let's screw before anybody pops in;" prison guard. Send over — Send to jail. Shamus — (Private) detective. Sharper — A swindler or sneaky person. Shells — Bullets. Shine — Moonshine, bootleg liquor. Shiv — Knife. Silk, as in "all silk so far" — All okay so far. Sing — Confess, admit secrets. Sister — Woman. Skate around, as in "She skates around plenty" — To be of easy virtue. Skid Rogue — A bum who can't be trusted. Skipout — Leave a hotel without paying, or a person who does so. Skirt — Woman. Slant, Get a — Take a look. Sleuth — Detective. Slug —  As a noun, bullet. As a verb, to knock unconscious. Smell from the Barrel, Have a — Have a drink. Smoked — Drunk. Snap a Cap — Shout. Snatch — Kidnap. Sneak — Leave, get lost, as in "If you're not a waiter, sneak." Type of burglary, as in as in "The hotel-sneak used to be my lay." Sneeze — Take. Snitch — An informer, or, as a verb, to inform. Snooper — Detective. Snort (as in of gin) — A drink. Snow-bird — (Cocaine) addict. Snowed — To be on drugs (heroin? cocaine?); also "snowed up." Soak — To pawn. Sock — Punch. Soup — Nitroglycerine. Soup Job — To crack a safe using nitroglycerine. Spill — Talk, inform; spill it = tell me. Spinach — Money. Spitting — Talking. Spondulix — Money. Square — Honest; on the square — telling the truth. Squirt Metal — Shoot bullets. Step off — To be hanged. Sticks of Tea — Marijuana cigarettes. Stiff — A corpse. Sting — Culmination of a con game. Stool-pigeon — Informer. Stoolie — Stool-pigeon. Stringin' — As in along, feeding someone a story. Sucker — Someone ripe for a grifter's scam. Sugar — Money. Swift, To have plenty of — To be fast (on the draw). Swing — Hang. T Tail — Shadow, follow. Take a Powder — Leave. Take it on the Heel and Toe — Leave. Take on — Eat. Take the Air — Leave. Take the Bounce — To get kicked out (here, of a hotel) Take the Fall for — Accept punishment for. Tea — Marijuana.  That's the Crop — That's all of it. Three-spot — Three-year term in jail. Throw Lead — Shoot bullets. Ticket — P.I. license. Tiger Milk — Some sort of liquor. Tighten the Screws — Put pressure on somebody. Tin — Badge. Tip a Few — To have a few drinks. Tip Your Mitt — Show your hand, reveal something. Tomato — Pretty woman. Tooting the Wrong Ringer — Asking the wrong person. Torcher — Torch singer. Torpedoes — Gunmen. Trap — Mouth. Trigger Man — Man whose job is to use a gun. Trip for Biscuits, as in "You get there fast and you get there alone - or you got a trip for biscuits" — Make the trip for no purpose, achieve no results. Trouble Boys — Gangsters. Turn up — To turn in (to the police). Twist — Woman. Two Bits — $25, or 25 cents. U Under Glass — In jail. Up-and-down, as in "to give something the up-and-down" — A look. Uppers, as in "I've been shatting on my uppers for a couple of months now" or "I'm down on my uppers" — To be broke. V Vag, as in vag charge, vag law — Vagrancy. Vig, Vigorish - Excessive interest on a loanshark's loan. Advantage in odds created by a bookie or gambler to increase profit. W Weak Sister — A push-over. Wear Iron — Carry a gun. Wheats, as in "a stack of wheats" — Pancakes. White - Good, okay, as in "white dick." Gin ("a gallon of white"). Wikiup — Home Wire, as in "What's the wire on them?" — News, "What information do you have about them?" Wise, to be To be knowledgeable of; put us wise — tell us. Wise Head — A smart person. Wooden Kimono — A coffin. Worker, as in "She sizes up as a worker" — A woman who takes a guy for his money. Wrong Gee — Not a good fellow. Wrong Number — Not a good fellow. Y Yap — Mouth. Yard — $100. Yegg — Safecracker who can only open cheap and easy safes. Z Zotzed — Killed.