1930's meanings of 'heaters' and 'cheaters' | Q&A about words

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#210495 - 04/18/13 06:48 AM 1930's meanings of 'heaters' and 'cheaters'
Vic Neilson stranger Registered: 04/18/13 Posts: 1 Loc: KwaZuluNatal, SouthAfrica	Our choir is learning a 1930’s Medley that includes ‘Jeepers Creepers’. There has been some discussion about the lines ‘Golly gee! When you turn those heaters on – woe is me – Got to put my cheaters on!’ Am I correct in assuming the ‘heaters’ refers to eyes and ‘cheaters’ to sunglasses? Vic Neilson, Munster, Lower South Coast, KwaZuluNatal, South Africa vneilson@mweb.co.za
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#210498 - 04/18/13 07:40 AM Re: 1930's meanings of 'heaters' and 'cheaters' [Re: Vic Neilson]
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13803	Sounds good to me.
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#210499 - 04/18/13 09:57 AM Re: 1930's meanings of 'heaters' and 'cheaters' [Re: Faldage]
jenny jenny veteran Registered: 06/05/10 Posts: 1554 Loc: Lower Aberdeen, Mississippi	Not to me. In my neck of ths woods "cheaters" in this context refers to better seeing glasses not dimming glasses e.g. Hand me my cheaters so I can read the small print. Of course "heaters" are not "hooters" so that term must be a musical license term for "eyes". Good luck.
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#210503 - 04/18/13 01:06 PM Re: 1930's meanings of 'heaters' and 'cheaters' [Re: jenny jenny]
Tromboniator old hand Registered: 05/10/10 Posts: 954 Loc: Alaska	Yes, jj is right. The whole song is about eyes, so "heaters" are eyes used to attractive advantage: musical license indeed; cheaters are ordinary eyeglasses, slang of the period.
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#210504 - 04/18/13 03:04 PM Re: 1930's meanings of 'heaters' and 'cheaters' [Re: Tromboniator]
LukeJavan8 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/08 Posts: 8429 Loc: Land of the Flat Water	Originally Posted By: Tromboniator Yes, jj is right. The whole song is about eyes, so "heaters" are eyes used to attractive advantage: musical license indeed; cheaters are ordinary eyeglasses, slang of the period. Yuppers! ! ! _________________________ ----please, draw me a sheep----
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#210515 - 04/19/13 07:32 AM Re: 1930's meanings of 'heaters' and 'cheaters' [Re: Vic Neilson]
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13803	Only problem: that meaning of cheaters doesn't fit the sense of the song.
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#210516 - 04/19/13 08:10 AM Re: 1930's meanings of 'heaters' and 'cheaters' [Re: Faldage]
zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel Registered: 08/13/05 Posts: 3290 Loc: R'lyeh	Only problem: that meaning of cheaters doesn't fit the sense of the song. The context of the song is rather strange. In the 1938 movie, Going Places, Louis Armstrong sings it to a race horse. There's a clip on YouTube. With a horse and eyes, you'd think of blinders, not glasses. _________________________ Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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#210517 - 04/19/13 08:11 AM Re: 1930's meanings of 'heaters' and 'cheaters' [Re: Faldage]
Tromboniator old hand Registered: 05/10/10 Posts: 954 Loc: Alaska	With a big enough hammer, I can make it fit! Okay, maybe it makes more sense if they are sunglasses, but I never heard that usage in actual conversation, as I did in reference to ordinary glasses. Jeepers creepers, I admit I've never taken the song seriously enough to look for sense in it.
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#210528 - 04/19/13 06:26 PM Re: 1930's meanings of 'heaters' and 'cheaters' [Re: Tromboniator]
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13803	Originally Posted By: Tromboniator ... I've never taken the song seriously enough to look for sense in it. Good move.
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#210530 - 04/19/13 06:30 PM Re: 1930's meanings of 'heaters' and 'cheaters' [Re: Faldage]
LukeJavan8 Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/23/08 Posts: 8429 Loc: Land of the Flat Water	D'accord. _________________________ ----please, draw me a sheep----
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