Chandler, Raymond. “Red Wind.” Stories and Early Novels. New York: Library of America, 1995. 368-417.
I’m taking a class in detective fiction right now, for my Last English Requirement EVER (finally graduating, what a thought) and am very happy, because we’ve leapfrogged right into the hardboiled, noir-type stuff. And, boy, do I love that. All the silly similes and the cynical detectives with their go-it-alone codes of honor and ethics. Fun stuff, even though women never come off well in it — so it seems like I should mind it. But I don’t. Who cares if the detectives check out the mysterious dames’ legs? Hell, it seems to be the only perk they get in their noir-y lives — that, and the cheap booze.
Flossy: “Superficially stylish; slick.”
“I was getting one [a drink] in a flossy new place across the street from the apartment house where I lived.” (368)
Shamus: “1. A police officer. 2. A private investigator.”
“‘John Dalmas, huh? A shamus. You here on business?’” (372)
Fordham: A reference to either the private university Fordham University, in New York, or to Fordham Preparatory School, a private all-male high school, also in New York (and associated with F.U. — ah, good choice of initials, there, Fordham).
“And that smug-faced pansy in the barcoat that played left tackle for Fordham or something.” (383)
Nolle Prosse: A slang shortening of the phrase “nolle prosequi,” which means “A declaration that the plaintiff in a civil case or the prosecutor in a criminal case will drop prosecution of all or part of a suit or indictment.”
“‘Stooled on a bank job in Michigan and got me four years. Got himself a nolle prosse.’” (383)
Guinea: “Used as a disparaging term for a person of Italian birth or descent.”
“‘That guinea?’ he sneered. ‘To hell with him!’” (390)
Cabriolet: “An automobile with a folding top; a convertible coupe.”
“There were a lot of parked cars but she found a vacant space behind a small brand-new Packard cabriolet that had the dealer’s sticker on the windshield glass.” (391)
Nazimova: According to Wiki, “Alla Nazimova, born Mariam Edez Adelaida Leventon (1879–1945) was a Russian/American theater and film actress, scriptwriter, and producer. She is often known as just Nazimova, and was also known as Alia Nasimoff.” The article makes her sound interesting — I want to read more about her, now!
“‘Snap out of it, Nazimova.’” (399)
Gill: “1. A unit of volume or capacity in the U.S. Customary System, used in liquid measure, equal to 1/4 of a pint or four ounces (118 milliliters). 2. A unit of volume or capacity, used in dry and liquid measure, equal to 1/4 of a British Imperial pint (142 milliliters).”
“She took herself another gill without trimmings, wound herself back on the davenport.” (403)
Levantine: According to OED, “An inhabitant or native of Levant,” with “Levant” being “the former name for the geographical area of the eastern Mediterranean that is now occupied by Lebanon, Syria, and Israel.”
“The old Levantine had a shop in Melrose, a junk shop . . .” (415)
Four-flusher: “1. Games To bluff in poker with a four flush. 2. Slang To make empty claims; bluff.” And you really need to know what this phrase means, to get the ending. I thought this was probably the gist of it.
“‘To the memory of Stan Phillips,’ I said out loud. ‘Just another four-flusher.’” (417)
“Guinea” – Detective Ibarra (of whom Detective Copernik is talking) is a “Mexican of the good sort” in the story. Not Italian.