Home » Dictionary » buffet flat

buffet flat

buffet flat
 n.— «Have you ever been to a buffet flat? It’s neither a lunchroom nor a variation of a western plain. It’s peculiar to Harlem, yet few white visitors to that Negro haven in New York City ever hear of it, and practically none get into one. In “Emperor Jones,” a picturization of Eugene O’Neill’s famous play…a buffet flat is shown in all its colorful detail. A buffet flat is simply a Harlem apartment to which people come to sit around, eat, drink, talk, sing and dance. » —“Emperor Jones Is Coming” Nevada State Journal (Reno) Dec. 17, 1933. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Further reading

Minor Planets (episode #1639)

There are eight major planets, but more than a million minor ones, including asteroids. If you discover one, you get the honor of naming it. The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names includes minor planets named for rock bands, jazz musicians, poets, and...

When I See the Night Sky, I Am Reminded of Homework

One of the celestial bodies listed in The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names(Amazon) is called Sumaura. It’s the name of the oldest private elementary school in Kobe, Japan, and was suggested by the discoverer’s son. This is part of a...