Diner lingo

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. 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. Some of the terms are pre-existing slang, such as "Adam's ale" for water. Diner lingo was most popular in diners and luncheonettes from the 1920s to the 1970s.

List of terms

86 – omit from an order; "hold" Adam and Eve on a raft – two poached eggs atop toast 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; Battle Creek, Michigan is the birthplace of breakfast cereal Belly warmer – coffee BLT – bacon/lettuce/tomato sandwich Biddy board – French toast; "biddy" was a slang term for hens Blue plate special – a discount-priced meal that usually changes daily Blowout patches – pancakes Board – slice of toast Boiled leaves – hot tea Bowl of red – chili con carne Bow wow – hot dog Brick – biscuit Bridge/Bridge party – four of anything Bullets – beans Burn the British – toasted English muffin Cackleberries – eggs Cats' eyes – tapioca pudding Checkerboard – waffle City juice – water (because water is supplied by the city) Coffee high and dry – black coffee (no cream or sugar) Cow paste – butter Dead eye – poached egg Dogs and maggots – crackers and cheese Drown the kids – boiled eggs Echo – repeat of the last order Eve with a lid – apple pie, alluding to the forbidden fruit Fish eyes – tapioca pudding 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 In the alley – served as a side dish In the weeds – overwhelmed Irish cherries – carrots Jamoka – coffee (blend of java and mocha) Java – coffee Jayne Mansfield – tall stack of pancakes Jewish round – bagel Joe – coffee Life preserver – doughnut Looseners – prunes Lumber – a toothpick Machine oil – syrup Maiden's delight – cherries Make it cry – add onion Moo juice – milk Mug of murk – black coffee Mully – beef stew, from "mulligatawny" more likely from Milligan Stew from the US depression eraMulligan stew Nervous pudding – Jell-O O'Connors – potatoes, alluding to their association with Ireland On the hoof – cooked rare (for any kind of meat) 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 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

Diner lingo

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