Alan's definitions

Badcock and More

A store somewhere with an unfortunate name.

Josh took a trip to Badcock and More to see what the hell it is they're selling there.

by Alan June 4, 2004

Russian cuisine

The national cuisine of Russia, the Ukraine and sometimes Georgia. Often quite delicious, though sometimes with dramatically different tastes from typical American fare.

Poppy seed rullet, fresh-baked rye bread, soft cheese, various soups and stews, borscht, kvass (small beer), stuffed cabbage leaves.

by Alan June 4, 2004

dutch oven

A large, lidded cast-iron pot with a fold-away, bail handle. Originally, the dutch oven was used as just that, a bread oven. In the days when most families lacked modern stoves, and depended on the fire-place hearth for their cooking, a dutch oven could be filled with bread dough, lidded and buried in hot embers in order to bake the bread. Nowdays, the dutch oven is usually placed atop the stove to cook beans and stews, though sometimes it is still used in a conventional oven to cook bread loaves and baked beans. In rare instances, a cast-iron dutch oven can double as a deep-fryer.

In some areas, the dutch oven is referred to as a "dutchie." This is claimed by the surviving members of Musical Youth as the "dutchie" in the lyric: "pass the dutchie from the left-hand side." from their one hit song. It is of course now believed that the word in the song was changed from "cutchie," a Jamaican slang term for a kind of marijuana.

I cooked a dutch oven full of lentil soup, a pot of saffron rice and even baked a loaf of crispy bread. I am a good cook, no?

by Alan June 4, 2004

bulls

Early Bowery term for officers of the law, possibly originating in the late 19'th century. Also called flatfoots.

1900's textile cart driver: "Zeeser Gottenyu! You've poisoned my horse! Oh thank God, here come the bulls.

Monk Eastman: "'ello officer Fitzpatrick, this cart-driver's waving a gun at me!"

Corrupt 1900's cop: "'ey, ye sold me wife some moth-eaten fabric about a week ago, and now yer falseley accusin' this nice fella o' poisonin' yer horse, I oughta hall ye in!"

cart driver: "this man poisoned my horse, and you're halling me in? You filthy Irish pig! And you, horse-poisoner, a shande, a shande for the Goyim!"

Eastman: "the Goy is my hand-servant, good luck jackass!"

by Alan June 4, 2004

Block-and-drop joint

A bar in the early 1910's, which served "needled" or fortified beer. So called because you have a drink, walk a block and drop dead. Also called a "blind pig."

The proprietors of the block-and-drop joint had set up a practice of drugging their beer, then rolling the patrons that passed out.

by Alan June 4, 2004

Hop-head

One who habitually uses "hop" or opium. Also hop-habit: opium addiction.

"Lemme tell you 'bout Willie the Weeper,
Willie the Weeper, yeah, the chimney sweeper
He had the hop-habit and he had it bad
Lemme tell you 'bout a dream he had"

--old ragtime song about opium.

by Alan June 4, 2004

weeper

An opium addict. See hop-head.

The weepers on the Bowery went to Hop-Sing's to get their fix.

by Alan June 4, 2004