Comments on: Stand chickie

By: Gigi

Gigi — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:34:00 +0000

Phrase “chickee the cop” predates 1930. My mother born in 1917 in Brooklyn, N.Y. recounts that at age 8 or 9 she and other little ones often helped the older boys who would be pitching pennies in the alley (considered illegal gambling at the time). My Mom and others would be the look-out for the older kids, warning “chickee the cop” whenever a policeman was near. However, unbeknownst to the older kids, my Mother or her friends would “snitch” to the cop and then feign a sincere warning. Frequently after the boys “got busted” the patrol officer would divide up the coins and give them to my Mom and her little friends.

By: Brooklyn in da House

Brooklyn in da House — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:24:30 +0000

In 1960′s Brooklyn, one kid would “keep chickie” while the other kids went into the lobby to share a cigarette.

In the film version of the Blackboard Jungle, the delinquents are smoking in the bathroom. When the teacher comes in, one says “Chickie”.

I didn’t know this was specialized slang until I said “Chickie” to co-workers and they looked at me like I was nuts.

By: dcase

dcase — Tue, 25 May 2010 02:15:14 +0000

I work in the prison system in Texas where offenders still “run jiggers” or watch for approaching authority.

By: Messman

Messman — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:03:01 +0000

You forgot to mention “The jig is up!”

By: Thaddeus Cowan

Thaddeus Cowan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:39:02 +0000

The origin of “hickory, dickory, dock” from the nursery rhyme.

An old and rustic way of counting went:
wan, twan, tethera, methera, pimp
sethera, lethera, bovera, dovera, dick
wanadick, twanadick…

From which we get “hickory, dickory, dock.”
(See Conway, J. and Guy, R, 1996, “The Book of Numbers” p.2 for a complete explanation.