Vocabulary (Cheap Gunsels)

[Carvill John]

>From: Mark Wright AIA <mwaia@[omitted]>
Subject: Re: VLVL(7) Vocabulary

>meaning gosling or little goose  1 A naive youth; a homosexual youth, esp. 
>a passive one kept by
>a tramp. 2 an informer; a criminal, a gunman. (from shorter OED)

>Fabulous! I especially like that "...kept by a tramp." I think most
>amerikans my age (40/50) think of it only in the last sense 'gunman'.
>It makes Spade's crack about gunsels hanging around in hotel lobbies,
>"...their heaters bulging in their pockets," even more precise and
>needling.

>Lovely word.

Enjoyed 'little goose', I don't know that one!

I'm a big Chandler/Hammett/Bogart fan so I heard that stuff about 'cheap 
gunsel' having a dual meaning a while back. Chandler, particularly, is 
underrated methinks. Ditto Bogart. But that's drifting off-subject.

Cheers

John

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