Criminal Slang: The Vernacular of the Underworld Lingo

Monteleone, Vincent J. Criminal Slang: The Vernacular of Underworld Lingo. Revised Edition. Boston: The Christopher Publishing House, 1949. 292 pp. Reprint available 2003 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. LCCN 2002043283. ISBN 1-58477-300-6. Cloth. $75. Monteleone was a police officer with thirty-two years of service throughout the United States. He compiled this collection of words and phrases used by the "gangster, tramp or hobo" over the course of a career that spanned the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Both instructive and amusing, it contains hundreds of entries relating to criminal matters of the time, such as "Academy" (a jail), "Across the River" (dead), "Grease the Track" (to fall under a moving train), "Looseners" (prunes), "Sprinkle the Flowers" (to distribute bribes), "Suey Bowel" (A Chinese opium den), "Write Short Stories" (to forge checks) and "Zib" (an easy victim). Also includes a table of hobo code symbols. A fascinating addition to any criminal law history library or collection, this book will likely be perused often.