Handy, W.C. (William Christopher)
1873 –1958
He was a blues composer and musician widely known as the
"Father of the Blues." While Handy was not the first to publish music
in the blues form, he took the blues from a regional music style
with a limited audience to one of the dominant
national forces in American music.
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Products that aren't consumed or quickly disposed of, and can be
used for several years often made of cast iron, metal
or ceramic. They may also be called durable goods.
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"Harp-playin"
A musical instrument consisting of an upright, open triangular frame
with usually 46 strings of graded lengths played by plucking with the
fingers. The Irish harp was a common instrument in Irish folk music.
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The exact origin is unknown, but there are several other variations
of the "hear from me until…" phrase that mean, you’ll be hearing
about this for a long time, or I won’t forget
this anytime soon and you’re going to know it.
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"Hodado"
Probably short for “How do you do?”
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A kind of wooden tray with a handle, borne
on the shoulder, for carrying mortar, brick, etc.
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| Childe Hassam: New York Hod Carriers |
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a very large barrel or cask with varying capacity to
hold liquid. In the US a hogshead is 63 gallons.
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To be deceived. It actually derives from the practice of placing a
hood over the head of a falcon in the Middle Ages when engaged
in the sport of falconry. This was done in order to trick the falcon
into believing it was nighttime, thus calming the bird down
so that one could recover the prey from the bird's talons.
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Horse platoons
In the military, “platoon” refers to a subdivision of a company, divided into
squads or sections and usually commanded by a lieutenant. "Platoon" can
also refer to a body of persons working together. "Horse platoon" typically
refers to members of the military riding on horseback, especially
on ceremonial occasions.
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Ice cream socials are a traditional gathering dating back to the
18th century in America. They were frequently organized by churches,
fashioned after the "ice cream gardens" that were common in society at the time.
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In the Gloaming
A song based on an 800-year-old Irish poem about a man
who sees the woman he loves in his dreams.
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Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area
often referred to as the "American Heartland." It derives its name from
the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied
the state at the time of European exploration. This state has an
agriculture-based economy and is often
known as the "Food Capital of the World"
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Leave is slang for a favorable position for a stroke in billiards
(circa 1850). Three-rail billiard shot refers to the fact that in carom
billiards, the cue ball must contact at least 3 cushions before it hits
the second object ball in order to score any points. This sentence
seems to imply that the player has, through excellent strategy and
difficult maneuvers, put the balls in such a position
as to give him an excellent shot at making points.
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This is in reference to Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet (1596).
Romeo, the young heir of the Montagues, attends the great ball of the
Capulets in disguise and falls in love with Juliet, the daughter of the
house. During a street brawl in the marketplace, Romeo’s friend
Mercutio is killed by Juliet’s cousin Tybalt,
and Romeo in turn kills Tybalt.
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Jasper
This is any male fellow or chum, usually a stranger.
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A regional phrase used as an acceptable version of "Jesus Christ."
Others include Jeazle Peats, Jeezly, Gee whiz!, Jee Whillikins and Jeasusly.
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A lyre-shaped instrument of music, which, when placed between the
teeth, gives, by means of a bent metal tongue struck by the finger,
a sound which is modulated by the breath.
Also called also jaw harp and Jew's-trump.
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He was a poet who was best known in his time as a mathematician
and astronomer. His poetry really only became widely read when
Edward FitzGerald collected several quatrains (rubaiyat) attributed
to Khayyam and translated them into English
as the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
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These are a type-of pants; full breeches gathered and banded just
below the knee (which is why moving them above the knee is
such a shocking thing to do) and generally worn by young boys.
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Lancelot
The Last Days of Pompeii, written by the infamous Edward Bulwer-Lytton, was
a Titanic size blockbuster novel back in the 1830's. It is most well known
for its many film versions-- there was the silent landmark film from 1913,
an adaptation in 1935 and a spaghetti peplum with Steve Reeves from
1959-- but perhaps the most memorable (and exhaustive) version
was thecolossal star-studded miniseries made in 1984.
http://www.metafilter.com/116817/Watch-out-for-that-volcano
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French knight, most celebrated of the Knights of the Round Table
in Arthurian legend until he became the lover of Arthur's wife, Guinevere.
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Last Days of PompeiiThe Last Days of Pompeii, written by the infamous Edward Bulwer-Lytton, was
a Titanic size blockbuster novel back in the 1830's. It is most well known
for its many film versions-- there was the silent landmark film from 1913,
an adaptation in 1935 and a spaghetti peplum with Steve Reeves from
1959-- but perhaps the most memorable (and exhaustive) version
was thecolossal star-studded miniseries made in 1984.
http://www.metafilter.com/116817/Watch-out-for-that-volcano
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Robert Herman Julius Friedrich (June 30, 1891 - August 8, 1966),
Ed "Strangler" Lewis, whose career spanned four decades.
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Born in Italy, played in the Cacciatori Band of Rome. 1872 came to U.S.,
became a U.S. citizen, and directed his own band that
toured the U.S. from 1889-1919 and 1921-23.
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"Lollygags me around"
To waste time by puttering aimlessly; dawdle.
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Line
This is the product the travelling salesman sells.
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Stereotypically, people with a lisp are
The result is that the speech is unclear.
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Livery Stable
A stable where horses, teams and wagons were for hire, but also where
privately-owned horses could be boarded for a short time, often attached
to a hotel or boarding house. As the automobile rose in popularity, livery
stables began to disappear, but there were still some in operation in the 1930's.
A short plaid coat made of made
of thick woolen material.
Mail pouch cut plug
This is a popular brand of chewing tobacco, sold in hard plugs that
would be cut with a knife. The grocery store owner would use a
mechanical device to cut the plug into flakes
to sell or make hand-made cigarettes to sell.
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This was a U.S. battleship sunk (Feb. 15, 1898) in Havana harbor,
killing 260, in an incident that helped precipitate the Spanish-American War.
The American press blamed the Spanish government, and
"Remember the Maine" became the rallying cry of the war.
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A small lute like instrument with a typically pear-shaped body and
a straight fretted neck, having usually four sets
of paired strings tuned in unison or octaves.
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This is a man who is aggressive in making amorous advances to
women. [Syn: wolf, woman chaser, skirt chaser]
Marian; "Do you think that I’d allow a common masher?"
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Ma·vour·neen also ma·vour·nin -- My darling; --
an Irish term of endearment for a girl or woman.
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Mesmerized
Having your attention fixated as though by a spell.
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Milk pan
Shallow milk pans with flaring shoulders were common household
items until the mid-1800s. Milk was allowed to sit until the cream
had risen to the top and could be easily removed with a shallow spoon
or skimmer. Glass pans were advertised as "preferable to all others"
because they were "non-conductors" and therefore
kept the milk "uninfluenced by storms or climate."
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The children of River City learn the Minuet in G via the
"Think Method" taught by Professor Harold Hill.
"Think Method" taught by Professor Harold Hill.
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Miser
This is a person who hoards wealth and spends as little money as possible.
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Model T Ford
This was the first widely available automobile powered by a gasoline engine.
Henry Ford sold this car during the years from 1908 to 1927 using the
idea of "assembly line" production which lowered the price of the
care to make thus creating a car that the average person could
afford to buy. The car was also reliable, cheap, and easy to fix.
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"Name of St. Bridget"
Irish abbess; a patron saint of Ireland.
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Neck-bowed Hawkeyes
Iowans from Hawkeye, Iowa in bow ties.
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"Neck-or-nothin"
This is a figure of speech meaning at all risks; desperately (this term
is thought to come from hangings in the western U.S.
or from a phrase used in steeple chasing).
A small mug or cup. Also a unit of liquid
measure equal to one quarter of a pint.
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Notions
Small lightweight items for household use, such as needles, buttons,
and thread. Salesman 1:
"Credit is no good for a notions salesman."
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"O'Clarke, O'Mendez, O'Klein"
These three famous musicians were definitely not Irish;
Harold is just adding an O' in front of their names to make them sound
Irish so he can make the sale.
Harold:
"Well– you see all the really
great Coronet players
were Irish O'Clark, O'Mendez, O'Klein."
Clarke, Mendez, and Klein
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Although this seems to be an enduring stereotype of women's
occupations (teachers and nurses as well at one time), many people
remember the film image of "Marian the Librarian,"
a rigid woman in a rigid town.
a rigid woman in a rigid town.
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"On the que veev"
Misspelling of the French phrase "on the qui vive,"
meaning on the alert; vigilant.
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