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.[1][2] 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.[3]

Salem Diner in Salem, Massachusetts, USA

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,[3] but are helpful mnemonic devices for short-order cooks and staff.[2] Diner lingo was most popular in diners and luncheonettes from the 1920s to the 1970s.[4][2]

List of terms

"Adam and Eve on a raft" – two poached eggs on toast

"BLT" – bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich

"Take a chance" – corned beef hash

• 86 – omit from an order; "hold"[5]
• Adam and Eve on a raft – two poached eggs atop toast[6][7]
• Adam's ale – water[7]
• Angels on horseback – oysters wrapped in bacon[8]
• Axle grease – butter or margarine[3][8]
• B&B - bread and butter[9]
• Baled hay – shredded wheat[2][7]
• Bad breath – onions[8]
• Bark – frankfurter[8]
• Battle Creek in a bowl - bowl of corn flakes cereal[10]
• Belly warmer – coffee[8]
• BLT – bacon/lettuce/tomato sandwich[7][11]
• Biddy board – French toast[12]
• Blue plate special [7]
• Blowout patches – pancakes[13]
• Board – slice of toast[8]
• Boiled leaves – hot tea[7][14]
• Bowl of red – chili con carne[15]
• Bow wow – hot dog[7]
• Brick – biscuit[8]
• Bridge/Bridge party – four of anything[16]
• Bronx vanilla – garlic; originated in the 1920s.
• Bullets – beans[3]
• burn the British – toasted English muffin[17]
• Cackleberries – eggs[18][8]
• Cats' eyes – tapioca pudding[19]
• Checkerboard – waffle[20]
• City juice – water[8]
• coffee high and dry - black coffee (no cream or sugar)[21]
• Cowboy with spurs - western omelette with fries
• Cow paste – butter[3]
• Dead eye – poached egg[7]
• Dogs and maggots – crackers and cheese[8]
• Drown the kids - boiled eggs[22]
• Echo - repeat of the last order[23]
• Eve with a lid – apple pie[3][24]
• Fish eyes – tapioca pudding[7][25]
• Foreign entanglements - spaghetti[26]
• Greasy spoon – slang term for a diner[4]
• Guess water - soup[27]
• Hemorrhage - ketchup[28]
• Hockey puck – a well-done burger[3][7]
• Halitosis – garlic; originated in the 1920s.[7]
• Hot blond in sand - coffee with cream and sugar[29]
• Hot top – hot chocolate or chocolate sauce[7][8]
• In the alley - served as a side dish[30]
• Irish cherries – carrots[8]
• Italian perfume – garlic; originated in the 1920s.
• Jamoka – coffee[8]
• Java – coffee[31]
• Jewish round - bagel[32]
• Joe - coffee[33]
• Life preserver – doughnut[3][7]
• Looseners – prunes[8]
• Lumber – a toothpick[3][8]
• Machine oil - syrup[34]
• Maiden's delight – cherries[8]
• Make it cry – add onion[7]
• Moo juice – milk[7]
• Mug of murk – black coffee[8]
• Mully – beef stew[35]
• Nervous pudding – Jell-O[8]
• O'Connors – potatoes[8]
• On the hoof – cooked rare (for any kind of meat)[36]
• Punk – bread[8]
• Put wheels on it – carry-out order; to go[18]
• Rabbit food – lettuce[7]
• Radio sandwich – tuna fish sandwich[2][8]
• Ripper – a deep fried hot dog
• Rush it – Russian dressing[8]
• Sand – sugar[7]
• Shit on a shingle – Chipped beef served on toast
• Sinker – doughnut[8]
• Skid grease – butter[35]
• Squeal – ham[8]
• Sunny side up – a fried egg cooked on one side[7]
• Sweepings – hash[7]
• Take a chance – hash[8]
• Tube steak – hot dog[7]
• Two dots and a dash – two fried eggs and a strip of bacon[5]
• Wet mystery – beef stew[8]
• Whiskey down – rye toast[7]
• With the works – with everything on it (for a sandwich)[36]
• Wreck 'em – scrambled eggs[6][7]
• Yard bird – chicken[8]
• Yum yum – sugar[8]
• Shingles with a shimmy and a shake - Buttered toast with jam[37]

See also

• Coffee shop
• List of restaurant terminology
• Waffle House

References

1. Chu, K.; Felton, C.; Nelson, D.; Kohler, C. (2016). Good Job, Brain!: Trivia, Quizzes and More Fun From the Popular Pub Quiz Podcast. Ulysses Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-61243-625-8. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
2. Grimes, W. (2004). Eating Your Words: 2000 Words to Tease Your Taste Buds. Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 209–210. ISBN 978-0-19-517406-9. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
3. Stern, J.; Stern, M. (2011). Lexicon of Real American Food. Lyons Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-7627-6830-1. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
4. Albala, K. (2015). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Food Issues. SAGE Publications. p. 364. ISBN 978-1-4522-4301-6. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
5. Allan, Patrick (September 29, 2017). "A Quick Lesson in Essential Diner Lingo". Lifehacker. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
6. Reinstein, T. (2013). New England Notebook: One Reporter, Six States, Uncommon Stories. Globe Pequot Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-7627-9538-3. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
7. Kolpas, N. (2005). Practically Useless Information on Food and Drink. Thomas Nelson. pp. 92–94. ISBN 978-1-4185-5389-0. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
8. Smith, A. (2013). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. OUP USA. p. 2-PA269. ISBN 978-0-19-973496-2. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
9. Leykam, Garrison; Classic Diners of Connecticut; History Press Library Editions; Charleston, South Carolina: 2013.
10. Op cit Leykam
11. Mercuri, B. (2009). American Sandwich. Gibbs Smith. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-4236-1192-9. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
12. Op cit Leykam
13. Op cit Leykam
14. Zenfell, M.E. (2000). USA on the Road. Insight Guide United States: On the Road. Langenscheidt Publishers Incorporated. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-88729-369-6. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
15. Op cit Leykam
16. Op cit Leykam
17. Op cit Leykam
18. Flanagan, Mark (December 14, 2002). "Barney's Gets New Lease on Life". The Sun Chronicle. Attleboro, Massachusetts. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
19. Stern, J.; Stern, M.; Levkulic, T.; Levkulic, J. (2004). The Famous Dutch Kitchen Restaurant Cookbook. Thomas Nelson. p. 215. ISBN 978-1-4185-3987-0. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
20. Op cit Leykam
21. Op cit Leykam
22. Op cit Leykam
23. Op cit Leykam
24. Dolgopolov, Y. (2016). A Dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-7864-5995-7. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
25. Partridge, E. (2015). A Dictionary of the Underworld: British and American. Routledge Revivals: The Selected Works of Eric Partridge. Taylor & Francis. pp. pt760-761. ISBN 978-1-317-44552-4. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
26. Op cit Leykam
27. Op cit Leykam
28. Op cit Leykam
29. Op cit Leykam
30. Op cit Leykam
31. Horberry, R. (2010). Sounds Good on Paper: How to Bring Business Language to Life. A&C Black. p. 17. ISBN 978-1-4081-2231-0. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
32. Op cit Leykam
33. Why coffee is called "joe"
34. Op cit Leykam
35. Witzel, M.K. (2006). The American Diner. MBI classics. MBI Publishing Company LLC. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7603-2434-9. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
36. Leykam, Garrison (June 1, 2017). "Diner Lingo: How to Talk Like a Short Order Cook". Connecticut Magazine. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
37. Soniak, Matt (September 20, 2012). [mentalfloss.com/article/31493/understanding-diner-lingo-55-phrases-get-you-started "Understanding Diner Lingo: 55 Phrases To Get You Started"] Check |url= value (help). Mentalfloss.

Further reading

• DinerLingo.com