Barrelhouse Words: A Blues Dialect Dictionary

O

old black dog 173 An apparent colloquial variant of not for me, occurring as shopgirl dialogue in O.Henry’s The Trimmed Lamp (1906):“‘Him?’said Nancy . . .‘not for mine.I saw him drive up outside . . .give me the real thing or nothing,if you please.’” The preceding couplet may be a rejoinder to a 1909 pop song,“New York Town For Mine, Boys.” notoriety I got a notoriety woman, she ’bout to drive me wild Besides that woman, the devil(‘s) meek an’ mild . . . —Blind Blake,“Notoriety Woman Blues,” 1928 In black speech,someone who is notoriously disreputable;a known criminal or hell-raiser.Gary Davis defined notoriety as“a person that has a outstandin’ [police] record or a bad reputation; a great long court record. Just don’t care what they say or where they say it at or what they do or where they do it at.” As applied to a female: “She ain’t nothin’ but noise: she’ll do anything, say anything” (Hill). notoriety talk Say all you dicty folks, you better take a walk ’Cause I’m a notoriety boy, with some notoriety talk. —Sam Theard,“Three Sixes,” 1930 Speech consisting of dozens (Skip James). O occupation I got ways like the devil, sleep in a lion’s den And my chief occupation: takin’ women from the monkey men. —Papa Charlie Jackson,“The Cat’s Got The Measles,” 1924 Activity; standard English (OED) put to an unusual context. old black dog Lord,“Old black dog,” honey when I’m gone Come in with my money an’ it’s “Where you been so long?” —Edward Thompson,“West Virginia Blues,” 1929 An antebellum epithet, used with racial overtones:“I called one of the white girls “old black dog” and they pretended they would tell their mother (my mistress) about it” (Mattie Hartman, as quoted in Born in Slavery). 174 old shoe old shoe It’s some other low-down scoundrel, been had his foot in my shoe ’Cause it don’t feel good to me sweet baby, a-honey like it used to do. —Bo Carter,“Old Shoe Blues,” 1935 A double entendre with a colloquial basis in the obsolete 19th-century expression to ride in another man’s old shoes, meaning to maintain or marry someone else’s mistress (F&H, 1903). old woman’s darling or a young woman’s slave, an I’d rather be dead, and sleepin’ down in my grave Than to be an old woman’s darling, or to be a young woman’s slave. —Papa Charlie Jackson,“Papa Do Do Do Blues,” 1929 A play on the 19th-century saying“Better an old man’s darling than a young man’s slave,”applied to females.The latter was an updated version of a proverb recorded by John Heywood in 1546:“Better an old man’s darling/Than a young man’s warling.” on a bum Well look here mama what you done done Took my money, put me on a bum. —Jed Davenport and His Beale Street Jug Band,“You Oughta Move Out of Town,” 1932 A variant of on the bum, slang dating to the 1890s for surviving by panhandling , or going homeless (cf. Lighter, 1994, at bum; DAUL). on a sly I whip my black woman, tell you the reason why Black woman’s evil, do things on a sly. —Memphis Jug Band,“On The Road Again,” 1928 Surreptitiously; a variant of on the sly, a standard English expression (OED). on a wander Lord I hate to hear the little Katy blow Puts me on a wander, mama makes me wanna go. —Little Brother Montgomery,“No Special Rider,” 1930 In the grip of wanderlust; a black colloquialism. on a wonder Everybody’s on a wonder, what’s the matter with my milk cow today? Long as she give that sweet milk an’ butter . . . she sure can’t drive me away. —Kokomo Arnold,“Milk Cow Blues No. 3,” 1935 Wondering, likely formed by misapprehending on a wander. on the square 175 on the ’count of I’m worried and bothered, don’t know what to do Reason I’m worried an’ bothered, it’s all on the ’count of you. —Blind Lemon Jefferson,“Rambler Blues,” 1927 A black variant of on account of, a Southern colloquialism meaning because of (for the latter, cf. ADD). on the hog I was down in Cincinnati, baby on the hog I’m...