“Gangway” A sidewalk running through a narrow space between two houses.
Why is it called a gangway in Chicago?
Gangway in Chicago’s immigrant neighborhoods. During the Capone era, these dark and narrow areas became escape routes for those evading the law or other gang members, thus the Chicago term “gangway” was born. Even the police were afraid to enter gangways alone.
What does gangway mean slang?
And the platforms connecting two train cars are also called gangways. This word stems from an old-fashioned definition of gang, “a going, journey, way, or passage.” In the early 20th century, gangway was also a common command meaning “clear the way!”
Why are there so many alleys in Chicago?
The Chicago alleys were laid out for the practical needs of the city. Especially the extremely practical need to not have a city wallowing in human, animal, and industrial waste.
Are alleys a Chicago thing?
Still today, over 90 percent of the blocks in Chicago contain alleyways. Preceding Chicago’s plan in 1830, the Commissioners Plan of New York City was penned in 1811. Similar to Chicago’s, the Plan of 1811 emphasized the orthogonal grid, despite it’s topographic and shoreline irregularities.
What words do Chicagoans say weird?
The Chicago Accent Deconstructed
| Chicago Accent | Instead of… | …We Say |
|---|---|---|
| short “o” becomes short “a” | hot dog, pop, mom | haht dahg, pahp, mahm |
| short “u” becomes “aww” | but, cut | bought, caught |
| “ctu” becomes “ch” | picture | pitcher |
| double “tt” becomes double “dd” | little, bottle | liddle, boddle |
What are Chicago slang words?
Chicago Slang
- Kickback. Parties in Chicago might be called parties, except when they’re not.
- Flodgin. This one would be a hard guess for virtually anybody who’s not from Chicago.
- Fin. A fin, a fiver, or even a sawbuck.
- Dibs.
- Frunchroom.
- Merch.
- Wear the Jacket.
- The L.
What does Foe mean in Chicago?
OFN as “On Foe Nem”
Foe Nem (also spelled Foenem or Foe N Em) is a slang term with its roots in Chicago gang culture. It’s said that gang members of the Four Corner Hustlers use the term to refer to each other.
What is a gangway called?
A gangway is a narrow passage that joins the quarterdeck to the forecastle of a sailing ship. The term is also extended to mean the narrow passages used to board or disembark ships.
What’s another word for gangway?
In this page you can discover 20 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for gangway, like: hall, passageway, passage, corridor, walkway, aisle, gangplank, gangboard, companionway, bulkhead and null.
What is the difference between Ally and alley?
“Alley” is a noun meaning a narrow passageway. Example: There is an alley behind the buildings. “Ally” is a verb or noun meaning to connect by some relationship usually showing helpfulness or kinship. Example: The United States is a close ally of England.
Does Chicago plow alleys?
The City of Chicago does not plow alleys. The Chicago Snow Corps is a program that connects volunteers with residents– such as seniors and residents with disabilities – in need of snow removal.
Why are there no alleys in NYC?
To compensate for the loss of land, the commission did not place any alleys on the land that remained — today’s city blocks — so that the landowners could provide, and profit from, more housing and commercial units. As a result, Manhattan has at best half a dozen things one might call alleys.
Did Chicago have alleys before the fire?
“So during the Great Chicago Fire, the streets literally caught on fire,” Jones said. After the fire many streets and alleys were replaced, while others were just paved over. One of the few surviving wood alleys sits just a few blocks away from the history museum in the Gold Coast.
How wide is a Chicago alley?
16′-20′
Commonly spanning 16′-20′ in width, the residential sibling to the urban service alleyway is scaled down in several ways: including narrower widths, shorter structures, and smaller trash receptacles. Residential alleyways generally connect and occupy two parts of residential blocks within the Chicago grid system.
What US cities have alleys?
Some historic alleys are found in older American and Canadian cities, like New York City, Philadelphia, Charleston, South Carolina, Boston, Annapolis, New Castle, Delaware, Quebec City, St John’s, Newfoundland, and Victoria, British Columbia.
What does goofy mean in Chicago?
The slang term “Goofy” is a noun which was originated in Chicago. The term is used to reference a silly person or a “goof”/”goofball”.
Where does a Chicago accent come from?
It’s mostly a white urban phenomenon; Labov theorizes that it originally comes from infrastructure: Although the vowel shift is often associated with a Chicago accent, some linguists believe it actually originated in the eastern United States in the late 1800s.
What does BOP mean in Chicago?
A “bop” is a Chicago slang term for a promiscuous woman, similar to “thot”. This word was adopted from Houston slang.
What does thurl mean in Chicago?
: the hip joint in cattle — see cow illustration.
What does skud mean in Chicago?
Derogatory term for a worthless person.
