6 thoughts on “The Nickel That Rolled In the Pocket”
Huh, so “jitney” was slang for a nickel? Wonder how that relates to “jitney” as a (usually illegal/unlicensed) cab – were cab rides once a nickel?Report
I think he’s just using jitney as a slang for ‘piece of junk’. I.e “why are you wasting your time looking for that relatively worthless thing”Report
Yes. Jitney originally meant a nickel; buses and cabs were referred to as such because the fare was five cents.
Huh, so “jitney” was slang for a nickel? Wonder how that relates to “jitney” as a (usually illegal/unlicensed) cab – were cab rides once a nickel?Report
I think he’s just using jitney as a slang for ‘piece of junk’. I.e “why are you wasting your time looking for that relatively worthless thing”Report
Yes. Jitney originally meant a nickel; buses and cabs were referred to as such because the fare was five cents.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jitneyReport
huh, til.Report
Question the historical accuracy on this one; there’s not an onion in sight, much less on anyone’s belt.
(Though maybe because this is the buffalo nickel era not the bumblebee nickel one?)Report
We’ve seen jitney before, and, yes, it was at the pool hall.
So maybe it was a regionalism that the guy who moved there from (wherever) used unrepentantly?Report