Re; AtD excerpt - "got-damn pinkinroller"

[Joe Allonby]

Pinkertons anybody?

This little faggot might be a Pinkerton. Haw haw haw.

He's toying with the hapless little guy.

On 8/5/06, Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net> wrote:
>
>
> On Aug 5, 2006, at 2:59 PM, Paul Nightingale wrote:
>
> >       "I can fix that," offered Willis.
> >       "Beg your pardon, what in hell business of any got-damn
> > pinkinroller'd this be, again?"
> >       "I know how to loosen that up for you. Trust me, I'm an
> osteopath."
> >
> > Willis himself is the "pinkinroller": here, Jimmy Drop is saying
> > it's none
> > of his business. Evidently, Willis has now put down the pistol he
> > grasped
> > "inexpertly" and is about to demonstrate his own area of expertise.
> > The
> > balance of power is shifting (as indicated by the final '"Obliged,
> > Jimmy
> > guessed'). Willis has nothing in his hands because his treatment of
> > Jimmy's
> > condition will be done with the hands: Jimmy's "just watch where
> > you're
> > putting them lilywhites" is a response to the approaching (and as
> > he sees it
> > threatening) hands, and makes less sense if Willis is holding
> > anything in
> > his hands.
> >
> > One meaning of 'roller' is thief/pickpocket; again, a possible
> > reference to
> > the approaching hands. Jimmy translates what he sees into his own
> > terms of
> > reference (again, perhaps).
> >
> > One meaning of 'to pink' is to peep/peer, possibly what Willis is
> > doing as
> > he "slowly and inexpertly raised his revolver, trying to aim it as
> > straight
> > as a shaking pair of hands would allow".
> >
> > Hence, 'pinking roller'.
> >
> > Again, perhaps.
> >
> >
> >
>
> Hi Paul
>
> My first inclination is to hear "pinkinroller" as a disparaging
> remark about the relative non-lethalness of Willis's antiquated
> colt.  Roller stands for revolver, It's what you see when looking
> into the barrel of  one. Willis's is a pinkinroller because it is of
> small calibre, probably a .22, and capable only of pinking (barely
> scratching) the person it hits. Jimmy Drop no doubt carries a .45.
>
>
>
>
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