I figured out that I was wrong about "the Other People." It
does not mean organized crime, as I originally guessed, but
the cops.
Two other expressions have stymied me, though, not so much in
their meaning as their derivations:
"A straight question deserves a straight answer, no Jack and
Danny, . .
."
Okay, "Jack and Danny" must mean no hesitation or right away,
but where does it come from? Who were Jack and Danny and what
does their last name rhyme with, assuming it's rhyming
slang?
"They're living in big drums, two new motors parked up
outside, flashing the cash and even signing on the Kid Creole
every fortnight. Balls they called it. Rank stupidity and
greed I'd call it."
I get that it means they are living large, being conspicuous
and calling attention to themselves. (The "hero" of this book
is very careful to keep a low profile, tries to avoid dealing
with people like the above.) But what about the specifics.
Drums mean house, right? Where's that come from? And I'm
guessing that "Kid Creole" means public assistance, rhyming
with "dole"? But why Kid Creole? Were he and his Coconuts a
lot more popular in the UK than they were in the US (many
albums, several of them very good, but only one song I can
think of that got any airplay)? I find it hard to believe he
is a cultural reference point. I wouldn't be as surprised if
it had been King Creole, since it got visibility as an Elvis
film (one of the few good ones, directed by Michael Curtiz,
of Casablanca and Mildred Pierce, among others, fame).
Decoding UK slang leads me to wonder if there is a similar
problem with US slang for non-natives. Do those of you from
other cultures find yourself struggling with US argot or is
our exported culture so ubiquitous that you are already
fluent in it?
Mark
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