THE CAPONE TONGUE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 32, 7 February 1931, Page 22

THE CAPONE TONGUE

Tho "American Mercury" publishes in its December number a "slanguage" of the racketeer, which will appeal to English people familiar with the activities of "Scarface" Al Capone and Jac!k Diamond, those princes of gangdom. The glossary is compiled by Mr. James P. Burke from an intimate acquaintance with Chicago racketeers, those people of the underworld who make their living by threatening the property of United States industrial firms and then levying blackmail as a reward for protecting the property from their own threats. The following are the most striking words and phrases in the glossary, with typical sentences heard in gangland:— Alky, n.: Alcohol. "He's in the alky racket." Bad news, n.: Trouble. "Sucker, stay out of me district! It's bad news if you don't." '.■■'■ Blow wise, v.: To grasp the meaning of j to become informed on, "Blow wise to what I'm spieling (saying)." Bouncer, n.: A worthless cheque. "I think he's regular and ho slips me a bouncer." ■ Breeze, v.: To leave. "Breeze, mimkey, or get guzzled." Bunk, n.: Synthetic liquor. "Say, this ain't M'Coy; it's bunk." Buzz, v.: To give confidential information; to whisper. "Lay off on the buzz." ' Camera-eye, n.: A retentive memory for faces. "Put him on the door. He's camera-eye." Case-dough, n.: A very limited amount of money. "Aw, have a heart; I'm down to case-dough.?' > Chisler, n.: A small operator; a petty thief. "We got io run the chislers out. They ruin the racket." Creep-joint, n.: A gambling house that moves to a different apartment each night. "Nothing's going but creepjoints." '. Cut, v.: To dilute liquor with water and alcohol. "Naw, we don't cut hooch any more; we make the bunk with malt." Drill, v.: To shoot. "Go drill the mutt. He's strictly stool." Dropper, n.: A paid killer. "We got to send East for a couple of droppers." Dance-hall, n.: The death-house of a penal institution., "I'm layin' in the dance-hall when he sends mo a lifeboat." i

RACKETEERS 3 DICTIONARY

ringcr-uiau, n.: A person who obtains detailed information. "He's linger man for a mob." : Hist, v.: To hold up. "We hist'the mutt's plant." Hot-seat, n.: Tho electric chair. "He draws the hot-seat for taking that rat." Italian football, n.: A bomb. "He gets out of line, so they kick an Italian football round his dump." Kosher, adj.: Not guilty of; above reproach; clean, "iTou got me wrong. I'm strictly kosher." Lifeboat, n.: ,A pardon or commutation of sentence. "He goes stool for a lifeboat." Lip, n.: A lawyer. "So I says, 'Get a lip for a writ.'" ,M'Coy, adj.: Genuine liquor. "This is M'Coy. You can't, fake Quebec wrappers." ; ■. ' . i Muscle in, v.: To secure a share by force. "Broke? Go muscle in some beer-joint." Noodle, v.: To make near-bees intoxicating by injecting ether or alcohol. "This beer knocks you for a loop. It's needled with ether." On the cuff: Credit: "The mutt puts me on the cuff for the drinks." Put the cross on, v.: To mark for death; to place on the spot. "Lay off, Smoky, or we put tho cross on you, see?" ,' Putt-putt, n.: An out-board motorboat used in liquor-running. "A sneaker's no good. Water's too shallow^ Got to use a putt-putt." Set-in, v.: To be protected. "Don't let the law worry you. I'm set in, I am." Slam off, v.: To die. "Here.we think him a, big shot, and he slams off with a cold." Swamp, v.: To arrest. "Our motor goes hay wire [breaks down], and we get swamped by the feds [police]." Tommy, n.: A machine-gun. "They got a tommy in the boat." Torpedo, n.: An assassin. "They bring a torpedo here from St. Louis." Trigger man, n.: An assassin; a body guard. "He's trigger man for Big Tony." Turret man, n.: A guard. "That scragger? He's a turret man for Whity." Wiper, n.: An assassin. "They got a St. Louis wiper in Spike's mob." Woody, adj.: Insane. "They give him hooch till he's woody."