A SAMPLER OF McNULTY ENGLISH

befuggle: to confuse.

braze it out: what a man must do to get around in New York City.

elevens: two cords on the back of a man's neck that stand out prominently ("the elevens are up") after a lifetime of heavy drinking.

fighting the mirror: the Sunday exercise of a drinker disgustedly confronted by his own face.

if: to place a bet on condition that a previous bet pays off, as in "If Bold Ruler wins the seventh at Jamaica. I'll if some money off him onto Bright Plumes."

sabotize: destroy a machine; specifically a jukebox.

self-conscience -stricken: feeling guilty.

sour-beer artist: one who writes Christmas greetings on saloon mirrors with sour beer.

snake: a vein on the forehead that to Third Avenue veterans is a telltale sign of heavy drinking ("the snake is out"); a condition similar to "the elevens are up" (see above), but less serious.

stick: the bar, a synecdoche from an era when most bars featured manual pumps.

store: a gin mill, a reverent term used only by its proprietor.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.