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Joined: Oct 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
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Yes-- that is exactly where i knew it from-- I have gone on NY style pub crawls-- to McSorley-- and sat down and had a drink where Lincoln sat down after the Lincoln /Douglas debate-- and then went cross town-- and sat down and had a drink at the White Horse-- where Brendan B-- was known to sit and hoist a few.. and then down to the Ear-- an other historic bar--Done right-- you pass the whole thing off as a Historic walking tour..that just happened to involve a number of bars.(there are lots of other bars/pubs/drinking establishments to choose from). There are many bars in NY that never closed during prohibition.. they just laid low.. and keep working-- the Ear used to just be the Bar-- they just painted over the front of the B-- and said "Its a restaurant".
Yes-- Brendan was thrown into prison for possesing an alarm clock...
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
hoosegow (from Sp. juzgado)
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
I always liked the phrase 'up the river' which is from 'up the river without a paddle' I suppose.
Here are some others not quite so exotic as tsuwm's:
lockup
reformatory
the joint
pen (from penitentiary right?)
penal facility
... this list could get long
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
I've always known it as up the creek , which is interesting as I seem to remember from somewhere that creek is actually a North American coinage.
Bingley
Bingley
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Joined: Dec 2000
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
> up the creek
I guess both work. In Australia they say 'up sh.. creek without a paddle'. The gaol sense is always 'up the river' though; it comes from England, does it not?
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
I don't think I've heard up the river as a term for prison before. Up the creek just means in trouble without any obvious way out.
Bingley
Bingley
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
The gaol sense is always 'up the river' though; it comes from England, does it not?
BY, if I parse of Troy correctly, the term "up the river" comes from New York, where city prisoners-to-be were sent up the Hudson River to Sing-Sing.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
thanks-- AS-- but the credit for confirming that to go (or be sent) Up the river goes to NY is fromFaldage-- who actually looked it up in the thread about double named places (poga poga/walla walla/sing sing, etc.)
Not from NY -- is "The big house" which refers to some federal penatentury-- but i don't know which one.. a google search gave some hints, but several sites refused to open... (some how, i think it is Ft Levenworth-- but what ever reasons i have for thinking this are too vague to refer to.)
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Joined: Dec 2000
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
Excellent. Now I know what Sing-Sing is. You see, I was listening to a CD from Cap. Kiwi's vast Hip-Hop collection today (Wu Tang - Forever), and one bloke says:
I sing a song from Sing-Sing, sippin on ginseng
I wondered what Sing-Sing might be, now I know!
As for the 'up the river' biz.. well, my guess was based on the fact that I learnt it from a real Cockney bloke.
BTW. a friend of mine comes from Baden-Baden.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 609
addict
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addict
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 609 |
somewhere that creek is actually a North American coinage
creek from Middle English crike, creke, from Old Norse -kriki bend
Rod
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