"An' I bet he's eatin' raw eggs and writin' to the patent medicine houses" (36)
A reference to common aphrodisiacs of the time; George sarcastically expresses his disgust at Curley's ostentatious sex life.
"S'pose he took a powder" (78)
"Suppose he got fed up and left"
"two shots of corn" (87)
two glasses of corn whiskey
"You're yella as a frog belly" (68)
"You're a coward."
alfalfa
a wheat-like plant used for animal feed
bindle
a load carried on one's back, a bundle
candy wagon
a bus or truck
cuckoo
insane person
dugs
teats or udders, used in reference to animals
euchre
a card game
flop
sexual intercourse
gingham
a durable cotton material used for aprons
Golden Gloves
boxing tournament
goo-goo
a derogatory term for a reformer, short for "good government" clubbers
graybacks
lice
hame
a sidepiece of a horse's harness
handy
good with the hands, specifically with reference to fighting
hoosegow
prison
jack-pin
a metal pin used to tie down ropes on ships
jackson fork
a mechanical hay fork
jail baits
underage women
jungle-up
to camp outside
kewpie doll lamp
a lamp with a base made from a children's toy
liniment
a soothing or pain-killing liquid used on sore body parts
looloo
an attractive woman
Luger
A pistol popularly associated with use by German forces in the first and second World Wars.
pitchers
"pictures," or movies
rassel
"wrestle," or haul
ringer
in horseshoes, a throw that "rings" (or encircles) the target
San Quentin
a state prison located north of San Francisco
skinner, or muleskinner
a worker who drives mules with a whip
slang
gave birth to
slough
to skin
snooker
a type of billiards
swamper
a helper, so named because he mops the floors
twict
a jab
welter
welterweight, a boxing category