Criminal Slang: The Vernacular of the Underworld LingoA fascinating addition to any criminal law history library or collection, this book will likely be perused often. With a new introduction by Bryan A. Garner, President, LawProse, Inc. [1-2 new introduction], 292 pp. Originally published: Boston: The Christopher Publishing House, 1949. Monteleone was a police officer with thirty-two years of service throughout the United States. He compiled this collection of words and phrases used by the "gangster, tramp or hobo" over the course of a career that spanned the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Both instructive and amusing, it contains hundreds of entries relating to criminal matters of the time, such as "Academy" (a jail), "Across the River" (dead), "Grease the Track" (to fall under a moving train), "Looseners" (prunes), "Sprinkle the Flowers" (to distribute bribes), "Suey Bowel" (A Chinese opium den), "Write Short Stories" (to forge checks) and "Zib" (an easy victim). Also includes a table of hobo code symbols. |
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Common terms and phrases
arrest beggar BLOW brothel burglar catamite cheap cheat cigarette cocaine commit convict cook cotic crime criminal crook death detective diamond DOCTOR N dollar bill DOUGH drug addict easy morals electric chair electrocuted escape EYE N gang give GUN N GUY N hanged heroin hobo hypodermic syringe informer injection of narcotic insane intoxicated jail jewelry kill liquor machine gun male homosexual male pudendum Marihuana MOLL morphine narcotic negro nitroglycerine one's opium pipe peddler penitentiary person petty pick pickpocket pimp plain cloth officer pocket police policeman prison sentence prostitute or whore prowler pudendum purse RACKET rest room revolver or pistol rides robbery safe cracker sexual shoot shoplifter shot slang smoke opium sodomite steal STIFF stool pigeon street SUCKER swindle swindler talk theft thief third degree town train tramp trick victim watch whore house woman of easy worker young girl
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