Pages

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Slang Primer No. 8

Herewith the eighth in an ongoing series of entries on slang, this one drawn from Robert L. Chapman's marvelous "Dictionary of American Slang (Third Edition)."
KANGAROO COURT

(1) noun phrase: By 1953: A mock court "The toughest prisoner announced that he was president of the Kangaroo Club and would hold court" -- E. Lavine

(2) noun phrase: By 1940s: A small-town police court where traffic fines to transients are high, and usually divided among the police. [Origin unknown]

No comments:

Post a Comment