buffet flat
n.— «The casual, migratory and unskilled drinkers of the world, along with a scattering of habitual, non-migratory and skilful [sic] drinkers, have found a new haven. It is the buffet flat and the New York police are authority for the statement that there are now about 10,000 of these sheltered retreats in Manhattan and Brooklyn and they are diverting streams of “sucker” money from the night clubs and they constitute a new and baffling factor in the problem of liquor law enforcement.» —“Buffet Flat Solves Many of High Society’s Drinking Problems” by Harvey Anderson in New York City Port Arthur News (Texas) Jan. 9, 1927. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Why isn’t “you’re welcome” the default response to “thank you” for everyone? Plus lies that kids tell...
When a teenager went a week without talking as part of a school project, he noticed a surprising side effect: Instead of rehearsing a response to...
How do you transform ancient Chinese script for use in the modern age? English uses a keyboard with just 26 letters, but the first Chinese typewriter...
Puzzling over the New York Times Spelling Bee, Jordan in Cheyenne, Wyoming, played the word pipped, but was surprised that the game disallowed it. He...
Anthony in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is suspicious of a story about the origin of the phrase win by landslide. According to local lore, the Wyoming...
If you’re ever near a sundial, step closer and look for a message. Many sundials bear haunting, poetic inscriptions about the brevity of life...
You must log in to post a comment.