Classic Detective Slang Quiz
August 25, 2009
The fictional characters from the hard-boiled detective novels and pulp fiction magazines of the early 20th century were distinguishable from other genres of the time period, in that the crooks and cops would often speak in a form of slang that was not common to the everyday Joe.
For instance, take the following sentence: "A bull-out-of harness nailed a dip in the crib."
When you translate that to common speak, you get: "A plainclothes cop caught a pickpocket in the casino."
Unless you are a hard-core fan of the genre, then you've probably found that the latter of the two sentences made much more sense.
Old-time detective slang is rarely used today; however, it is still an art form that causes us to raise an eyebrow, whether it is through fascination or our own attempt at translation.
Take this quiz and test your knowledge to see if you have what it takes to be a true sleuth!
Related Links:
Investigation Discovery: Quiz Central
Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com/Jeff deVries
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission from Discovery Communications. All quotes must include a link back.
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Loved the quiz, excellent graphics!! Thanks
Posted by: helenhudson | August 27, 2009 at 07:13 PM