The Poems of Bonnie Parker

Source.

Mobspeak Glossary

From Finland!

A Administration: the upper-level power structure of an organized crime Family, composed of the boss, underboss, and consigliere. Associate: an almost-there; someone who works with and for wiseguys, but who hasn't been sworn in as a member of the Family. B Babania: Heroin, as in dealing. Lucrative but risky for mob insiders because if they're busted, long prison terms might compel them to cut a deal and squeal. Babbo: A dope, idiot, useless underling. Beef: a complaint or disagreement within the organization, usually discussed during a sit-down with higher-ups in the Family. Big earner: someone who makes a lot of money for the Family. A LOT of money. Books, the: euphemism for membership in the Family, since nothing is ever written down. When there is an availability (when someone dies), the books are "opened." When no one is being "made," the books are "closed." Borgata: a crime Family; brugad. Boss: the head of the crime Family; he is the only one who gives permission to "whack" or "make" someone, and he makes money from all Family operations; synonyms: don, chairman. Boss of Bosses; Capo di tutti capi: While no one proclaims himself the Boss of Bosses anymore, the press awards this title to whomever they feel is the boss of the strongest of the five Families of New York, who is also said to preside over Commission meetings. Broken: demoted in rank; "knocked down." Brugad: a crime family; borgata. Burn: to murder; synonyms: break an egg, clip, do a piece of work, hit, ice, pop, put out a contract on, whack. Button: a "made" member of the Mafia; soldier, wiseguy, goodfella, Man of Honor. C Cafone: a phony or embarrassment to himself and others; "gavone" (slang pronunciation)capo: ranking member of a Family who heads a crew (or group) of soldiers; a skipper, short for capodecina. Capo di tutti capi: see Boss of Bosses Chased: to be banished from the Mafia and barred from associating or doing business with any made members. The punishment is merciful in that the offender is spared death. Cleaning: taking the necessary steps (driving around, stopping in various locations) to avoid being followed. Clip: to murder; see burn Clock: to keep track of someone's movements and activities. Comare: a Mafia mistress; "goumada" (slang pronunciation). Come in: To go see the boss when summoned. Commission, The: the Mafia "ruling body", typically a panel made up of the bosses of the five New York Families, Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Colombo, and Bonanno sometimes with representatives from other U.S. Families, such as Chicago. Compare: crony, close pal, buddy. Literally, "godfather" in Italian. Consigliere: the counselor in a crime Family; advises boss and handles disputes within the ranks. Contract: a murder assignment. Cosa Nostra: Italian for "this thing of ours," a mob family, the Mafia. Crew: a group of soldiers that takes orders from a capo. Cugine: a young toughguy looking to be made. D Do a piece of work: to murder; see burn. E Earner: someone whose expertise is making money for the Family. Empty suit: someone with nothing to offer who tries to hang around with mobsters. Enforcer: a person who threatens, maims, or kills someone who doesn't cooperate with Family rules or deals. F Fence: someone with worldwide outlets to liquidate swag. Friend of mine: introduction of a third person who is not a member of the Family but who can be vouched for by a Family member. Friend of ours: introduction of one made member to another. G Gavone: see cafone. Get a place ready: To find a burial site. Gift: A bribe, sometimes for a juror. Give a pass: To grant a reprieve from being whacked. Going: About to be whacked. Going south: stealing, passing money under the table, going on the lam. Goombah, Goomba, Gumba: Sicilian slang for the Italian compare; plural: goombata goumada: see comare. H Hard-on with a suitcase: mob lawyer; feminine: half a hard-on with a suitcase. Hot place: a location suspected of being the target of law enforcement or surveillance. I Ice: to murder; see burn.

J Joint, the: prison; synonyms: the can, the pen, go away to college. L Loanshark: someone who lends mob money at an exorbitant interest rate; a shylock. M Made: to be sworn into La Cosa Nostra; synonyms: to be "straightened out," to get your button. Make a marriage: to bring two parties together for legitimate or illegitimate Family issues. Mattresses, hitting the, taking to the: going to war with a rival Family or gang. Meat eater: a corrupt cop (not exclusively mobspeak). Mustache Petes: Old fashioned or older generation Mafiosi. N Nut, the: mobspeak for "the bottom line"; also the gross profit figure. O Omertá: the code of silence and one of the premier vows taken when being sworn into the Family. Violation is punishable by death. Off the record: an action taken without the knowledge or approval of the Family. On the record: an action sanctioned by the Family. P Piece: a gun. Pinched: arrested. Pop: to murder; see burn Problem: A liability, someone likely to be whacked. R Rat: a member who violates Omertá; synonyms: squealer, canary, snitch, stool pigeon, yellow dog. S Shylock: see loanshark Sit-down: a meeting with the Family administration to settle disputes. Skim: Tax-free gambling profits, as in the money taken that is not reported to the IRS. Skipper: a capo. Stand-up guy: someone who refuses to rat out the Family no matter what the pressure, offer, or threat. Swag: stolen goods, also an acronym for "stolen without a gun." V Vig: the interest payment on a loan from a loanshark (short for "vigorish"). Synonym: juice. Vouch for: to personally guarantee--with one's life--the reputation of someone dealing with the Family. W Walk talk, take a walk: to conduct a sensitive discussion while striding up and down the block to avoid being overheard on those pesky eavesdropping devices. Whack: to murder; see burn. Y Young Turks: Younger, less traditional generation of Mafiosi. Less likely to live by the old rules. Z Zips: American Mafiosi's derogatory term for Sicilian Mafiosi.

Biker Slang

Source

B BAB — A Born Again Biker. Betty — Female biker. Big End — At Top Speed. Big Slab — The Interstate Highway. Bubble Gum Machine — Police Bike.  Burnout — When you spin the rear wheel while holding the front brake. C Cage — A Car. Cager — A Car Driver. Crack It — Turning up the throttle. D Death Grip — How a first time biker tends to grab the handle bars. Dialed In — When your bike is set up just right. F Fluid Exchange — Stop for gas and to take a leak. G Ginmill — bar. Granny Gear — Lowest gear available on a bike.

H Hammer Down — Openening the throttle fully. High Siding — Wrecking a bike by flipping it over. I "I" — the "Interstate". L Lid — Helmet. P Potato Chip — Wheel that has been badly bent. R Roadie — Rider who prefers riding on paved surfaces. RUB — Rich Urban Biker. T Table Top — Jump in which the rider throws the bike sideways. W Wash Out — When the front tire loses traction. Weekend Warrior — Instant Biker types.

Frank Lima's Sacttered Vignettes

Frank Lima's Scattered Vignettes.

One of the few contemporary poems I stumbled across in my adult life and felt it contained a world within that I could inhabit, Frank Lima's Scattered Vignettes remains for me one of the most magical sustained invocations of language (English).

Elsewhere in this quixotic library and toy store, I have collected material of those who address misery by making an aesthetic object of consumption out of it. That is, while enjoyable, often, the trap. One cannot possess meaninglessness (the ultimate ghost of upheaval and trauma) by turning it into a product, buying and consuming it. Meaninglessness is more elusive than, say, delicious candy. In meaninglessness (death, violence, despair), the hunger is not sated by eating more of the same.

The groping towards any space of serenity in this relationship between observer, meaning and world, one that retains not only the images of trauma, violence and beauty but also the meaninglessness of those very things which make our time here storied, would require one to communicate or build something actually transformative.

This is not easy. Misery has stubbornly resisted prognostication and prescriptions, as in Marx, or magical solutions, as in Fascism. Often it hovers just outside the purview of Liberalism, the phantom limits of its ability to act. The nostalgia of religious fanaticism can only hold it at bay for so long. Ignoring it does not dispel it.

Frank Lima, so despairing, so ritually beautiful in his figures, so uncomplicatedly attuned to myth and the ceremonial gestures of magic, in a matter of a few pages, manages to cover a continental scourge of difficult and ambivalent territory. The miracle in these vignettes is how he never drops out of poetic voice. He takes things that are already meaningless (failed lives, the sad household objects that are the props for traditional magic) and uses them to help communicate the ultimate things, which are generally resistant to meaning (violence, ultimate taboos, spirit). Somehow the ineffable--by sheer conjuration of this sensitive but semantically perilous alchemy--manages to pass through.

For More on Frank Lima:
Here is an interview.

The Wire Bible

The "Bible" (concept, proposal) for the appallingly well-written TV series, The Wire.

Funhouse Dreams - The Sopranos

Dream montage from season 2 finale of The Sopranos, Funhouse.

The Unique Street Language of the Street Gangs and the Prison Gangs of the United States

From The Warriors.

Gang Slang.

"It is becoming more and more essential for law enforcement and corrections personnel to learn terms used by gang members in order to effectively understand and communicate with them. It has been shown that the officers that can speak the lingo are more likely to gather more information about the person or about the gang activity in the area. The link below clearly shows how a knowledge of slang terms could lead to a better field or office interview."

West Side Story

Transcript of West Side Story. The canonical musical resource for studies in campy gangbanger.

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.

Myths over Miami

I'm pretty sure what stories have grown up around the spirits and the gods have very little to do with literature.

This article, Myths over Miami by Lynda Edwards, is the closest example I have found to what a literal update of mythology and religion would look like in our culture, between cracks of pale light on the shadowy side of the post-millennium. These childish tales, from brightly chewed up wads of numerous indigenous belief systems indiscreetly and promiscuously borrowed from, mashed together with a child's happy lack of inhibition, combined with a sophisticated take on capitalism as the murder or suicide (murder-suicide) of god are by turns breathtaking, heartbreaking and harrowing.

There is no god but the explanation is theological. And extremely sad. The belief system is also living. Poly-genesis is, here, the result of a secret compact between naive belief systems, folk culture, the heroic (demonic) culture of gangbanging, a repressive system of immigration, a punitive system of homeless shelters and the anti-master dialectic of Judeo-Christianity. These are exactly the sort of stories that achieve genesis by successions of children whispering in rooms (children whispering in rooms being the origins of all magic). Different from various fundamentalisms, the universe these myths describe is recognizably ours, if wretched. Evil is assigned a symbolism of strictly literal and materialistic objects. Transcendence, overcoming is deferred.

The woman who collected these stories is a poet.

c/f How a 1997 New Times Feature on Homeless Kids' Folklore Exploded the Internet