Ethnic and Place Names as Derisive Adjectives Author(s): Ed Cray Source: Western Folklore, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan.

, 1962), pp. 27-34 Published by: Western States Folklore Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1520639 . Accessed: 10/02/2011 17:32
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Ethnic
Derisive

and

Place

Names

as

Adjectives
ED CRAY
for all, States stress equality

BECAUSE THE DOMINANT VALUES in the United

racial and ethnic prejudices are most often covert. Even an informant who realizes he has prejudices is not likely to speak openly of them to a collector he has known only a short time. Paradoxically, the material a collector garners on his field trips may well suggest these latent prejudices, as well as some not so latent. There are certainly enough vehicles-from jokes to songs-but the richest in indicating an informant's social antagonisms is substantive folk speech. One large group of terms, and one by no means regionally confined, may serve as an example. The names of races, nationalities, and localities are often pressed into service as adjectives; the phrases thus formed are used as euphemisms or as descriptive statements. So it is that a "Rocky Mountain canary" is a burro;1 a "Detroit sled" is any American-built automobile; "Mexican chrome" is silver paint and an "Indian haircut" is a scalping.2 These phrases follow two definite patterns: the regional, national, or ethnic name modifying either a euphemistic noun-as in the above examples-or a noneuphemistic noun-as in "Mexican athlete"3 (an unsuccessful candidate for an athletic team) or "Jewish side-walls" (appliqued white rubber circles put on black-wall tires to simulate the more expensive white side-walls). Such terms as "Canadian bacon," "California poppy," "Georgia warbler' and "Hungarian goulash" are examples of a third form. Neither jocular nor deprecating, the adjective indicates the actual or believed place of origin: terms used in this fashion have been excluded from this paper. The origins of these expressions are obscure, generally lost in the confusion of long standing antagonisms between two groups. In some few cases, there is historical evidence that they are the direct outgrowth of some incident. "Irish confetti," for example, are bricks and cobblestones thrown
'Harold Wentworth and Stuart Berg Flexner, Dictionary of American Slang (New York. 1960). 2 Ramon F. Adams, Western Words (Norman, Oklahoma, 1946). 'Wentworth and Flexner, op. cit. Known in some circles as a "Spanish athlete."

[27]

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during street fights; the term seemingly originated with the anti-Catholic rioting promoted by the Know-nothings in 1852.4 The social and/or political rivalries which gave birth to these terms still exist-though less open, less violent and antagonistic. As a result, the present-day usage appears to be less malevolent or malicious than formerly. Dictionary definitions notwithstanding, it is difficult to draw a sharp distinction between "derogatory" and "derisive"-yet time and usage have had the effect of changing the implications of these terms precisely from the former to the latter. Humor or "colorful speech" (for want of a better term) seem now to be major objectives of the use of derisive adjectives. Most of the terms have only a regional distribution and are confined to areas where the specific racial, national, or regional antagonisms involved operate. A "Mexican credit card," (a hose and siphon used for pilfering gasoline at night) is known in the Southwest. In northern Texas, it becomes an "Oklahoma credit card," in southern Indiana, a "Kentucky credit card." At least one occupational group in Southern California uses the adjective "Mexican" to denote anything inferior, makeshift, or substitute without relying upon a euphemism for the modified noun. "Hot-rodders," those who "customize" (to use their term) automobiles, have created a number of terms to apply to specific situations or materials: a "Mexican valve job" is accomplished by pouring kerosene into the carburetor to flush out some of tile carbon deposited on cylinder walls; a "Mexican muffler" is a tin can stuffed with steel wool mounted on an exhaust pipe; "Mexican side-walls" come out of a can of white paint. This group also uses the prefix with a euphemism. A "Mexican Maserati" is a Mercury, a "Mexican Buick" a Chevrolet. More obscure, a "Mexican jelly bean" is a 1936 Chevrolet which has been fitted with a "Mexican window shade" (Venetian blinds) in the rear window and a "taco wagon" is a car which has had its leaf springs shackled.5 As it is with language generally, the prevalence of specific artifacts or conditions directly influence the number of words used to describe or name them. In response to its frequency, the North American in Mexico has coined a number of names for the inevitable dysentary and diarrhea: "Mexican two-step," "Mexican fox-trot," "Mexican toothache," and, less directly if more colorfully, "Montezuma's revenge," the "Curse of Montezuma" and
the "Aztec hop."6
4See Gustavus Myers, History of Bigotry in the United States (New York, 1960), pp. 119-140, for a summary of the anti-Catholic agitation. 5 Though "taco" is not a national, ethnic, or regional name, it is seemingly a substitution for "Mexican," hence its inclusion here. 6The Mexican, in turn, calls this irritating malady La Turista ("the tourist"). The renaming of dysentary is not a new thing; according to Willard A. and Porter Heaps, The Singing Sixties (Norman, Oklahoma, 1960), the Army of the Tennessee during the Civil War called dysentary "the Tennessee quickstep."

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The following is a glossary of such prefixed terms currently in oral tradition in California. Collectors (other than this writer) are given in parenavailable-are cited. theses, and references-when African dominoes-dice. Also known as galloping dominoes. Mencken cites "African golf" as craps.7 Cf. "Mississippi marbles," infra. (Los Angeles, 1960) Arizona paint job-used to describe an unpainted, weathered pine building. (Anonymous, Santa Barbara, 1961) Arkansas fire extinguisher-a chamberpot. (John Greenway, Los Angeles, 1961) Arkansas toothpick-any knife with a blade exceeding the legal limit. Wentworth and Flexner identify it specifically as a Bowie knife or bayonet; Mathews has "California toothpick" as a synonym.8 (Los Angeles, 1950) Aztec hop-dysentary or diarrhea. (Jane Quint, while touring Mexico, 1958) Bronx cheer-the less-than-enthusiastic sound made by blowing air through partially flexed lips. Cf. Wentworth and Flexner. (Los Angeles, 1956) California breakfast-a cigarette and an orange. Of depression origin? Adams cites Spanish supper, a tightening of the belt a notch or two as a substitute for food. Cf. "Haight Street breakfast" and "Mexican breakfast." (Los Angeles, 1961) California prayer book-a deck of cards. Mathews; Wentworth and Flexner have it in this form and as "California Bible." (Los Angeles, 1960) Cape Cod turkey-codfish. Cf. Wentworth and Flexner. Mathews also lists "Cape Ann turkey."9 (Los Angeles, 1960) Chicago overcoat-a barrel of cement used to weight a body thrown into the river. Wentworth lists it simply as a coffin. The term has a limited currency, largely as a result of the recent television gangster dramas set in the 1920's. (Los Angeles, 1961) Chicago piano-A Thompson submachine gun. Though the term was current in 1952, its present day usage, like "Chicago coffin," would seem to derive from television. (Los Angeles, 1961) Chinese fire drill-Congressman Robert Wilson (Rep.-California) used the term to describe the administration of President Kennedy. Congressman Wilson "likened it to a 'Chinese fire drill' and said orders are being issued and countermanded with such frequency that only 'chaos and confusion' remain."10 (Los Angeles, 1961)
H. L. Mencken, The American Language (New York, 1923). 8Mitford M. Mathews, A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles (2 vols.; Chicago, c. 1951). James N. Tidwell, "A Word List from West Texas," Publications of the American Dialect Society, No. 11 (1949), has "Dallas special" as a knife with an extralegal blade. 9Any number of foods too-commonly served (to visitors?) in one area have acquired derisive nomenclature. "Boston strawberries" are beans, according to Mathews, and Stanley Robe has collected fresas Mexicanas ("Mexican strawberries") from Filiberto Sol6rzano, Zacoalco, Jalisco. "Mountain oysters" or "Kentucky oysters" are pigs' testicles used as food. Mathews lists, for example, the Civil War terms "Confederate beef," "Confederate mule," and "Cincinnati quail" for fat pork. Wentworth and Flexner offer, among others, "Baltimore beef steak," (cow or calf's liver); "Pennsylvania salve," (apple butter), etc. Adams has "Texas butter" or "immigrant butter" (a gravy made from bacon grease, flour, and water), plus many more. The list is long; foods seemingly offer the greatest number of prefixed terms. 10Los Angeles Times, July 7, 1961.
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Connecticut mile-the distance traveled in one minute.1 (Diane Marks, Los Angeles, 1957) Dago red-cheap red wine, usually Chianti. Cf. Mathews; Wentworth and Flexner. (Los Angeles, 1954) Detroit iron-any American-built automobile. Cf. "Detroit sled," infra. (Los Angeles, 1961) Detroit sled-disparaging sports car drivers use this to describe any Americanbuilt automobile. Cf. "Detroit iron," supra. (Los Angeles, 1960) Dutch treat-an affair at which each person pays his own check. Often shortened to "going Dutch." Cf. Mathews; Wentworth and Flexner. Commonly known and used, this term is listed in Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, one of the few on this list so honored. ( Los Angeles, 1945) Dutch uncle-an affectionate, older friend, or remotely related person. This seemingly is the antithesis of the entry in Webster's citing "one who reprimands with great severity and directness."12 (Los Angeles, 1960) French inhale-exhaling a mouthful of smoke, then inhaling through the nose. Wentworth and Flexner suggest that this is considered "ultrasophisticated" by teenagers. The author first heard the term in this high school days in Los Angeles, ca. 1946, and has not heard it since. French kiss-also known among Los Angeles teenagers as the "deep kiss" or "soul kiss"; most often shortened to "French." (Los Angeles, 1946) French leave-to leave secretly, without informing anyone, as when a soldier goes absent without leave or a debtor skips town. Wentworth and Flexner list this.13 (Los Angeles, 1960) Gook wagon-an automobile which has been overly ornamented with chrome and accessories or altered in some manner not currently in vogue among hot rod enthusiasts.14 (Jean Fouch, Los Angeles, 1960) Haight Street breakfast-muscatel and Wheaties, "presumably mixed together." Haight Street is in San Francisco's Skid Row. (Daniel Crowley, Davis, 1961) Indian giver-a person who gives a gift and then asks for it to be returned. Wide currency among children. Mathews; Wentworth and Flexner both have it. (Los Angeles, 1940; Arlene Purchin, Brooklyn, New York, 1945) Irish banjo-a shovel. The term probably dates from the days of the Irish immidistance traveled in one minute usually is something less than 5,280 feet. Similarly, 1 The Tidwell, op. cit., reports that in West Texas, a "Methodist measure" is a short measure, though he does not stipulate if it is distance or quantity which is to be measured. F. W. Bradley, "A Word List from South Carolina," Publications of the American Dialect Society, No. 14 (1950), has "Flemish account" for a small amount, but the use is unclear. 12Archer Taylor, Proverbial Comparisons and Similies from California (Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1954), p. 37, cites "to talk to him like a Dutch uncle," i.e., to scold or bawl out. Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, Fenner, and Smith (nee Bean) take a judiciously middle-of-the-road approach in an advertisement in Time Magazine (Aug. 11, 1961): "Someone told us the other day that Merrill Lynch reminded him of a Dutch uncle-kindly but stern." "Without defining the term, Amy Vanderbilt, writing in the Trans World Airlines house organ, Ambassador, Winter, 1960, says, "In France don't talk about 'French leave'-it's known as 'English leave' (le conge anglais)." The fact that Miss Vanderbilt felt no need to define the term may be an indication of its wide currency. Mathews has it as "Dutch leave"; XWentworth and Flexner, op. cit., has "Gypsy's leave" also. 14 The term "gook" is ambiguous and the phrase "gook wagon" may not belong on this list. "Gook" is synonymous with gawdy decoration; to the military in the Far East during the earlv 1950's, a Gook was any Oriental.

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gration to the United States when the men were commonly employed as laborers. Cf. Wentworth and Flexner.l5 (Los Angeles, 1960) Irish confetti-bricks or cobblestones (formerly, now less definite) thrown in a street fight. Cf. Wentworth and Flexner; Green, p. 208. (Los Angeles, 1957, from a trade union organizer) Irish pennants-rags or laundry hung up to dry on board ship. Wentworth and Flexner have this also.16 (Daniel Crowley, U.S. Navy, ca. 1945) Irish shift-used to describe a politician at the Democratic National Convention talking to one person with his arm around another, smiling all the while at a third. See "Irish switch," infra. (Bob Klein, Los Angeles, 1960) Irish switch-synonymous with "Irish shift." (Alice O'Brien, Los Angeles, 1960) Italian hero sandwich-an overly large sandwich most often constructed upon a foundation of Italian bread and salami. Sometimes shortened to "hero sandwich." See Wentworth and Flexner. (Los Angeles, 1958) Jewish overdrive-synonymous with the more common "Mexican overdrive," q.v. (ean Fouch, Los Angeles, ca. 1950) Jewish side-walls-white rubber circles glued on black-wall tires. See "Mexican side-walls," infra. (Ken Potter, San Francisco, 1960) Jewish time-refers to the supposed habit of Jews of being compulsively late for appointments. Usually used as a taunt: "Do you mean regular or Jewish Jew('s) harp-probably not derogatory. A plucked metal idiophone. General consensus would have the now-common "Jew's harp" a perversion of "Jaw's harp."18 (Los Angeles, 1950) Jigaboo joy shop-a store which sells chrome accessories for automobiles. The reference is to the widely recognized predilection of some Negroes of a lower socio-economic class to use ostentatious automobiles as status symbols. Cf. "Nigger bait," infra. (Robert Leventhal, Los Angeles, 1950) Kentucky credit card-synonymous with "Mexican credit card." (Edward Kahn, Los Angeles, 1959) Kentucky windage-the act of compensating for poorly set rifle sights by deliberately aiming off target.19 (Los Angeles, 1945) Mexican-Wentworth and Flexner enter this as an adjective meaning cheap and inferior, though it is limited to use in the Southwest. Marsha Seid (Santa
5 Mathews has the synonym "Irish spoon." Archie Green's "John Neuhaus: Wobbly Folklorist," Journal of American Folklore, LXXIII (1960), 209, cites "Mexican dragline" from oral tradition in San Francisco, ca. 1948. Green had other occupationally-derived terms including "Portugee lift" and "German planer." Wentworth and Flexner's "Swedish fiddle," a crosscut saw, would play a poor duet with the "Irish banjo." 6 John Lancaster Riordan, "American Naval 'Slanguage,'" Western Folklore, V (1946), 388, defines "Irish pennants" as "untidy loose ends of blankets or sheets, from Royal Navy usage." 7 Daniel Crowley reports two close parallels from the British West Indies, "Colored Peoples' Time" and "West Indian Time." Crowley reeled off a number of these hyphenated terms current in the British West Indies in the late 1950's, among them "Debe goat" for pumpkin; "mountain chicken" for wild frog on the island of Dominique. "Willi Apel, Harvard Dictionary of Music, (Cambridge, 1951), under "Jew's Harp." "9An Air Force public information officer sent the following release to Time magazine, Dec. 5, 1958: "Inasmuch as the earth spins eastward and imparts this eastward velocity to the launching vehicle while it is on the ground, the thing to do to achieve a polar orbit is to apply the principle of "Kentucky windage" and aim the bird west of south." Evidently, the term has graduated from the rifle range to the missile range.

time?" (Los Angeles, 1952)17

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Monica, 1958) reported a conversation overheard in which a man referred to a poorly fashioned model of an airplane as a "Mexican job." Mexican Bogner's-blue denim pants (usually Levi's) worn as ski pants. Bogner's is a favorite brand of ski clothing. (Max McCormick, Mono County, California, 1960) Mexican breakfast-a cigarette and a glass of water. Cf. Wentworth and Flexner. (Los Angeles, 1958) Mexican Buick-a Chevrolet. (Max McCormick, San Fernando, California, 1959) Mexican car wash-leaving an automobile out in the rain. (Los Angeles, 1950) Mexican cashmere-a sweatshirt. (Gordon Wilson, Redondo Beach, California, 1957) Mexican chrome-aluminum paint used to decorate an automobile. (Max McCormick, Los Angeles, 1960). Defined as any silver paint also. ( Michael Higer, North Hollywood, California, 1955) Mexican credit card-a hose and siphon used at night to steal gasoline from parked automobiles. (Sharon Delozier, Oxnard, California, 1958) Cf. "Mexican filling station," "Oklahoma credit card," "Kentucky credit card." Mexican dragline-a shovel. Cf. Green, p. 209. (Los Angeles, 1959, from a hod carrier) Mexican filling station-also known as a "Mexican credit card." (Max McCormick, San Fernando, California, 1959) Mexican fox-trot-dysentary. (Los Angeles, 1960) Mexican jelly bean-1936 Chevrolet, lowered by shackling the leaf springs and fitted with a "Mexican window blind" (Venetian blind) in the rear window. (Ken Potter, Los Angeles, ca. 1955) Mexican Maserati-a Mercury. The Maserati is a widely praised European racing car. (Ruth Mark, Los Angeles, 1960) Mexican motor mount-inner tubing used as shock absorbing material instead of special mounting parts. (Laramee Haynes, San Marino, 1959) Mexican muffler-a tin can stuffed with steel wool attached to an automobile exhaust. (Ken Potter, Los Angeles, 1953) Mexican nose guard-athletic supporter. (Stanley Davidson, Los Angeles, 1959) Mexican overdrive-going downhill in neutral while driving. Very common usage. Cf. "Jewish overdrive," supra. (Michael Higer, North Hollywood, 1955; Max McCormick, San Fernando, 1960) Mexican promotion-an increase in rank or title without an accompanying pay raise. Cf. Wentworth and Flexner. (Los Angeles, 1961) Mexican side-walls-white, rubberized paint used to simulate white side-walls on black-wall tires. Cf. "Jewish side-walls," supra. (Ken Potter, Los Angeles, 1955) Mexican standoff-a poker hand when no one can open the betting or when no one wins the pot. Adams defines this as "getting away alive from any serious difficulty." (Marsha Seid, Van Nuys, 1958) Mexican straight-in poker, any five cards and a sharp knife. (Dean Burson, Maywood, California, 1950) Mexican threads-a bolt stripped of its threads but twisted into a hole to cut new threads is said to have "Mexican threads." (Laramee Haynes, San Marino, California, 1959) Mexican toothache-dysentary. (Los Angeles, 1960)

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Mexican two-step-dysentary. (Los Angeles, 1960) Mexican valve job-flushing carbon from an automobile motor by pouring kerosene into the carburetor of a running car. (Marsha Seid, Van Nuys, 1958) Mexican window shade-a Venetian blind mounted in the rear window of an automobile. (Ken Potter, Los Angeles, ca. 1955) Milwaukee goiter-a large midsection as the result of drinking too much beer over a period of time. Wentworth and Flexner also list the analogous "German goiter." (Los Angeles, 1960) Mississippi marbles-dice. White usage only. Cf. African dominoes, supra. Wentworth and Flexner enter this. (Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, 1952; Los Angeles, 1956) Nigger bait-(excess) chrome on an automobile. Cf. "Jigaboo joy shop." The term is in use among used car dealers. (Gordon Wilson, Palos Verde, California, 1960) Nigger heaven-the cheaper balcony seats in a theater. Wentworth and Flexner cite the more polite euphemism, "Ethiopian paradise." (Los Angeles, 1956) Nigger rich-an adjectival expression, seemingly with two meanings, either "ostentatiously rich" (Alice O'Brien, Los Angeles, 1960) or "rich one day, poor the next" (Sara Shaffer, Los Angeles, 1959). Oklahoma credit card-known elsewhere as a "Kentucky credit card" or "Mexican credit card." (Sharon Delozier, Oxnard, 1959) Oklahoma showup-"A technique known in many police departments as 'The Oklahoma Showup' was then invoked. Before being taken to the line-up, the victims are lead past the open door of a room in which they are allowed to glimpse a prisoner in handcuffs. Nothing is said, but when the time comes to pick a suspect out of the line-up a short time later, one face stands out like a beacon-that of the man the victims know is criminal because they have seen him in cuffs only minutes before."20 Oregon beef-deer killed out of season. (Santa Barbara, 1961) Philadelphia lawyer-the ultimate in crooked lawyers (much to the dismay of the Pennsylvania Bar Association). Woody Guthrie wrote a song with this title in the mid-1940's.21 (Los Angeles, 1960) Puerto Rico Pendleton-an old work shirt. Pendleton shirts are noted for their ornate embroidery and cost. (Jean Fouch, Los Angeles, ca. 1950) Russian roulette-a game, if that is the word, in which one cartridge is placed in a revolver and the chamber spun; blindfolded, the "players" take turns holding the revolver to their foreheads and pulling the trigger.22 (Los Angeles, 1950; 1961; St. Louis, Mo., 1961) Taco wagon-among hot rodders, any car which has had its leaf springs shackled, lowering the body. "Taco" may be a substitute for "Mexican," and for this reason is included here, even though lowering an automobile is approved
0 Milt Machlin and William Read Woodfield, "Chessman Case Cracks Wide Open," Argosy, Dec., 1960, p. 118. 2 See John Greenway, Amnerican Folksongs of Protest, (Philadelphia, 1953), pp. 282-284, for a text. 2Both the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Sept. 22, 1961) and the Los Angeles Examiner (Oct. 1, 1961) use the term "Russian Roulette" in the headline over a story describing the premature death of two citizens. Neither story bothered to explain the circumstances, probably on the theory that the term was widely enough known to make this unnecessary.

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practice and not normally the subject of derision. (Gordon Wilson, Palos Verde Estates, California, 1960) Tijuana Bible-pornographic comic books, in a three-inch by five-inch format, parodying well known comic strips. These are most often purchased over the California-Baja California border. (Los Angeles, 1947) Vatican roulette-the rhythm system of birth control. (Los Angeles, 1959) This list is a limited one; there are undoubtably many more terms in oral tradition, not only in California, but in the rest of the country as well. are few names of religions used in Southern California Surprisingly,-there as derisive adjectives; there may be more elsewhere. Similarily, "Mexican" as the modifier probably drops out of currency in those regions where Mexicans are not found in large numbers, the term being replaced by some other regional or ethnic name. In itself, the derisive adjective, either as a term or a pattern is not important. Placed within a cultural context, however, it may indicate qualitatively, if not quantitatively, long-held prejudices and cultural antagonisms.

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