Diner lingo
{{Short description|Type of slang}}
File:SalemDiner Salem Massachusetts.jpg in Salem, Massachusetts, US]]
Diner lingo is a kind of American verbal slang used by cooks and chefs in diners and diner-style restaurants, and by the wait staff to communicate their orders to the cooks.{{cite book | last1=Chu | first1=K. | last2=Felton | first2=C. | last3=Nelson | first3=D. | last4=Kohler | first4=C. | title=Good Job, Brain!: Trivia, Quizzes and More Fun From the Popular Pub Quiz Podcast | publisher=Ulysses Press | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-61243-625-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6QBPDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA138 | access-date=November 5, 2017 | page=138}} Usage of terms with similar meaning, propagated by oral culture within each establishment, may vary by region or even among restaurants in the same locale.
History
The origin of the lingo is unknown, but there is evidence suggesting it may have been used by waiters as early as the 1870s and 1880s. Many of the terms used are lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek and some are a bit racy or ribald, but are helpful mnemonic devices for short-order cooks and staff. Diner lingo was most popular in diners and luncheonettes from the 1920s to the 1970s.
List of terms
File:Two poached eggs on toast.jpg on toast]]
File:Corned beef hash.jpg hash]]
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- 86 – omit from an order; "hold"{{cite web |first=Patrick |last=Allan |date=September 29, 2017 |url=https://lifehacker.com/a-quick-lesson-in-essential-diner-lingo-1818975167 |title=A Quick Lesson in Essential Diner Lingo |website=Lifehacker |access-date=November 5, 2017}}
- Adam and Eve on a raft – two poached eggs atop toast{{cite book | last=Reinstein | first=T. | title=New England Notebook: One Reporter, Six States, Uncommon Stories | publisher=Globe Pequot Press | year=2013 | isbn=978-0-7627-9538-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yHbC9ZD_kpAC&pg=PA165 | access-date=November 5, 2017 | page=165}}
- Adam's ale – water
- Angels on horseback – oysters wrapped in bacon
- Axle grease – butter or margarine
- B&B – bread and butterLeykam, Garrison; Classic Diners of Connecticut; History Press Library Editions; Charleston, South Carolina: 2013.
- Baled hay – shredded wheat
- Bad breath – onions
- Bark – frankfurter
- Battle Creek in a bowl – bowl of corn flakes cereal
- Belly warmer – coffee
- BLT – bacon/lettuce/tomato sandwich{{cite book | last=Mercuri | first=B. | title=American Sandwich | publisher=Gibbs Smith | year=2009 | isbn=978-1-4236-1192-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k6tsfBwoTn8C&pg=PA114 | access-date=November 5, 2017 | page=114}}
- Biddy board – French toast
- Blue plate special – a discount-priced meal that usually changes daily
- Blowout patches – pancakes
- Board – slice of toast
- Boiled leaves – hot tea{{cite book | last=Zenfell | first=M.E. | title=USA on the Road | publisher=Langenscheidt Publishers Incorporated | series=Insight Guide United States: On the Road | year=2000 | isbn=978-0-88729-369-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FaVuopQTBfcC | access-date=November 5, 2017 | page=208}}
- Bowl of red – chili con carne
- Bow wow – hot dog
- Brick – biscuit
- Bridge/Bridge party – four of anything
- Bronx vanilla – garlic; originated in the 1920s.
- Bullets – beans
- Burn it – well done
- Burn the British – toasted English muffin
- Cackleberries – eggs{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Flanagan |date=December 14, 2002 |url=http://www.thesunchronicle.com/flanagan-barney-s-gets-new-lease-on-life/article_15e606d6-95a0-5276-b113-099642243a7d.html |title=Barney's Gets New Lease on Life |newspaper=The Sun Chronicle |location=Attleboro, Massachusetts |access-date=November 5, 2017}}
- Cats' eyes – tapioca pudding{{cite book | last1=Stern | first1=J. | last2=Stern | first2=M. | last3=Levkulic | first3=T. | last4=Levkulic | first4=J. | title=The Famous Dutch Kitchen Restaurant Cookbook | publisher=Thomas Nelson | year=2004 | isbn=978-1-4185-3987-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EevZ7wnHV2YC&pg=PT215 | access-date=November 5, 2017 | page=215}}
- Checkerboard – waffle
- City juice – water
- Coffee high and dry – black coffee (no cream or sugar)
- Cowboy with spurs – western omelette with fries
- Cow paste – butter
- Dead eye – poached egg
- Deluxe – varies from restaurant to restaurant, generally refers to "all the toppings"
- Dragged through the garden - serve with a large variety of toppings and condiments (usually vegetables).
- Dogs and maggots – crackers and cheese
- Drown the kids – boiled eggs
- Echo – repeat of the last order
- Eve with a lid – apple pie{{cite book | last=Dolgopolov | first=Y. | title=A Dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations | publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers | year=2016 | isbn=978-0-7864-5995-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LAKQCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA113 | access-date=November 5, 2017 | page=113}}
- Fish eyes – tapioca pudding{{cite book | last=Partridge | first=E. | title=A Dictionary of the Underworld: British and American | publisher=Taylor & Francis | series=Routledge Revivals: The Selected Works of Eric Partridge | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-317-44552-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LEXeCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT760 | access-date=November 5, 2017 | pages=pt760-761}}
- Foreign entanglements – spaghetti
- Greasy spoon – slang term for a diner
- Guess water – soup
- Hemorrhage – ketchup
- Hockey puck – a well-done burger
- Halitosis – garlic; originated in the 1920s.
- Hot blond in sand – coffee with cream and sugar
- Hot top – hot chocolate or chocolate sauce
- Houseboat – banana split{{cite web |last1=Ward |first1=Maggie |title=Common Diner Lingo Phrases and Their Meanings |url=https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/diner-lingo/ |website=tasteofhome.com |access-date=1 December 2023 |date=20 December 2018}}
- In the alley – served as a side dish
- In the weeds – overwhelmed{{Cite web|url=https://firstwefeast.com/eat/kitchen-slang-101-talk-like-real-life-line-cook/|title = Kitchen Slang 101: How to Talk Like a Real-Life Line Cook}}
- Irish cherries – carrots
- Italian perfume – garlic; originated in the 1920s.
- Jamoka – coffee
- Java – coffee
- Jayne Mansfield – tall stack of pancakes[https://www.dinerlingo.com/dictionary/jayne-mansfield DinerLingo.com – Jayne Mansfield]
- Jewish round – bagel
- Joe – coffee[https://qz.com/88453/why-coffee-is-called-joe/ Why coffee is called "joe"]
- Life preserver – doughnut
- Looseners – prunes
- Lumber – a toothpick
- Let it swim - extra sauce
- Machine oil – syrup
- Maiden's delight – cherries
- Make it cry – add onion
- Moo juice – milk
- Mug of murk – black coffee
- Mully – beef stew
- Nervous pudding – Jell-O
- O'Connors – potatoes
- On a raft – Texas toast in place of buns
- On the hoof – cooked rare (for any kind of meat){{cite web |first=Garrison |last=Leykam |date=June 1, 2017 |url=http://www.connecticutmag.com/food-drink/diner-lingo-how-to-talk-like-a-short-order-cook/article_6dce37f0-3a7d-11e7-b0df-4f4d5326a3d1.html |title=Diner Lingo: How to Talk Like a Short Order Cook |website=Connecticut Magazine |access-date=November 5, 2017}}
- Punk – bread
- Put wheels on it – carry-out order; to go
- Rabbit food – lettuce
- Radio sandwich – tuna fish sandwich
- Ripper – a deep fried hot dog
- Rush it – Russian dressing
- Sand – sugar
- Shingles with a shimmy and a shake – buttered toast with jam
{{cite web |first=Matt |last=Soniak |date=September 20, 2012 |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/31493/understanding-diner-lingo-55-phrases-get-you-started |title=Understanding Diner Lingo: 55 Phrases To Get You Started|website=Mentalfloss.com}}
- Shit on a shingle (S.O.S.) – chipped beef and milk gravy served on toast
- Sinker – doughnut
- Skid grease – butter
- Squeal – ham
- Sunny side up – a fried egg cooked on one side
- Sweepings – hash
- Take a chance – hash
- Tube steak – hot dog
- Two dots and a dash – two fried eggs and a strip of bacon
- Wet mystery – beef stew
- Whiskey down – rye toast
- With the works – with everything on it (for a sandwich)
- Wreck 'em – scrambled eggs
- Yard bird – chicken
- Yum yum – sugar
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See also
{{Portal|Society|Food|Language}}
References
{{reflist|30em|refs=
{{cite book | last=Grimes | first=W. | title=Eating Your Words: 2000 Words to Tease Your Taste Buds | publisher=Oxford University Press, USA | year=2004 | isbn=978-0-19-517406-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X7hYK4M38gkC&pg=PA209 | access-date=November 5, 2017 | pages=209–210}}
}}
Further reading
- [http://www.dinerlingo.com/ DinerLingo.com]
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