Mouthpiece 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 Paris thieves who were known for their crimes of violence. Apaches were so called because their alleged savagery was compared with that attributed by Europeans to the Native American tribes of Apaches.
banshee: (Irish legend) a female spirit whose wailing warns of a death in a house.
be hanged: used to express exasperation or disgust.
blackjack: a short, leather-covered club, consisting of a heavy head on a flexible handle, used as a weapon.
bluecoats: policemen.
bo: pal; buster; fellow.
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.
bulls: cops; police officers.
bump: to kill.
calaboose: a jail.
cowl: the top portion of the front part of an automobile body, supporting the windshield and dashboard.
cretonne: a heavy cotton material in colorfully printed designs, used especially for drapery or slipcovers.
degree rooms: third-degree rooms; interrogation rooms; rooms of mental or physical torture used to obtain information or a confession from a prisoner.
dope: information, data or news.
drill: shoot.
excelsior: packing material made from wood shavings.
fire-eaters: firemen; firefighters.
flatfoot: a police officer; cop.
gat: a gun.
giddap: get up or go ahead.
gilt-frogged: garment with gold-colored ornamental fasteners consisting of a loop of braid and button or knot that fits into the loop.
hard-boiled: tough; unsentimental.
haymaker: a powerful blow with the fist.
jack: money.
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.
Merthiolate: a trademark name for thimerosal, a cream-colored crystalline powder used as a local antiseptic for abrasions and minor cuts.
mitts: hands.
mouthpiece: a lawyer, especially a criminal lawyer.
mugs: hoodlums; thugs; criminals.
nickel barrel: siren, from the outside cylindrical part or casing of a siren that is nickel plated or colored.
petcock: a small valve used to control the flow of gas.
pile out: to move out.
pipe: cinch; someone or something that is easy and presents no problems.
pipe the dick: to look at, notice the detective.
powder, take a: to make a speedy departure; run away.
put ya wise: tell you; give you the information.
queered: spoiled; ruined; put wrong.
ride, take for a: to take out in a car intending to murder.
right guy: good guy.
roadster: another name for a police car.
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.
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.
sap: blackjack; a short, leather-covered club, consisting of a heavy head on a flexible handle, used as a weapon.
sapped: knocked out with a blackjack.
slug: a bullet.
smoke-eaters: firemen.
speakeasy: a bar for the illegal sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks.
spokes: the rods that join the edge of the steering wheel to its center.
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.
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.
uncle: surrender; indicate a willingness to give up a fight.
