The Refuge (p. 1): A juvenile reformatory 

Santa Fe (p. 2): The capital of New Mexico

Gimp (leg) (p. 3): A crippled leg

Palomino: A horse of light tan or golden color with cream-colored or white mane and tail

Rio Grande: A river that lies in both the US and Mexico

Bottle Alley (p. 5): A back alleyway in Mulberry Bend, Lower Manhattan; present day Chinatown

Harbor: New York Harbor; located at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary

Slugger (p. 7): someone, especially a young boy, who tried very hard at something

Harlem (p. 8): A neighborhood in Upper Manhattan

Delancey: Delancey Street on the lower east side of Manhattan

Have’ta (p. 9): Have to

‘Afta: After

Papes: Newspapers

Pistol-Packin’ Floozy (p. 10): A girl or woman who carries a gun

Nitwit: A silly or foolish person (often as a general term of abuse)

Grand Central Station: A commuter rail station located in Midtown Manhattan

Soakin’: impose heavy charges or taxation on; charge heavily

Coney’s: referring to Coney Island; the area is populated generally by freaks and weirdos, term refers to a person who is not of the norm

Cronie’s: A companion or associate

Dough: Money

Play the Ponies: Betting on horseracing

Snoozer (p. 11): Something boring

Crip (p. 12): a slur for a disabled person, usually with a physical disability

Skunks: defeat someone overwhelmingly in a game or context

Bum gam: Bad leg

Puss (p. 16): Face

Bits: Money, equal to about 12½ ¢

World (p. 18): A daily newspaper published in New York City

Socialist: (1890) an umbrella term for anyone who believed labor was cheated out of its natural product under historical capitalism

Commie: Communist; a person who supports or believes in the principles of communism 

Dontcha (p. 22): Don’t you

Inferno: A large fire that is out of control

Born to the breed (p. 23): 

Bowery (p. 25): A street and neighborhood in Lower Manhattan

Mug (p. 26): slang for face

Aptitude (p. 27): a natural ability to do something

Long Island Sound (p. 28): a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean; lies between Connecticut and Long Island

Ermin: a stoat; small mammal of the weasel familty

Chinchilla: a small South American rodent

Mink: either of two flesh-eating mammals that resemble the related weasels

Mope: a person given to prolonged spells of low spirits

Fate (p. 29): the development of events beyond a person’s control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power

New York Sun ( p. 30): New York newspaper

Rap Sheet: a police arrest record especially for an individual 

Beau (p. 31): a term for boyfriend

Señor: Spanish for mister

Mudder (p. 33): Mother

Coronas: Premium cigars; straight-shaped cigar with a rounded top

Fodder: Father

Hoi polloi: the masses; the common people

Journal (p. 35): A New York newspaper owned by William Hearst

Union (p. 37): a club, society or association formed by people with a common interest or purpose

Must’a: Must have

Scabbers (p.40): people who refused to join a union or acted in a way that would undermine their fellow workers
Hawkin’ (p. 41): to sell or attempt to sell something, especially to do so in a loud and intrusive manner

Circulation Bell: TBD

Ain’t worth beans: worthless thing or endeavor

Stop the presses: an idiomatic exclamation when significant information is discovered

Crack the whip (p. 42): to use your authority to make someone else behave better or work harder

Fight ‘em Toe (p. 44): to fight someone in a strong, forceful, determined way

Auspicious (p. 45): promising success

Scare the bejeebers: terrify thoroughly

Impudence: the quality of being rude and not showing respect

Midtown (p. 46): An area in New York city running east to west extending from 34th street to 59th street and from 3rd avenue to 8th avenue

Bronx: the northernmost borough of New York City located north of Manhattan and Queens separated by the Harlem River

Queens: the largest borough in New York City located on Long Island

Eastside: refers to the side of Manhattan which abuts the East River and faces Brooklyn and Queens; Fifth Avenue, Central Park from 59th to 110th streets, and Broadway below 8th Street separate it from the West Side

Brooklyn: a borough of New York City located on the westernmost edge of Long Island

Motherlode: a rich source of something

Rag-tag (p.47): a group of people or an organization that is badly organized and not very respectable

Ragamuffins: a person, typically a child, in ragged, dirty clothes

Kingmakers: a person who has great power and influence in the choice of a ruler, candidate for public office, business leader or the like

Davids taking on Goliath: denotes an underdog situation; a conflict where a smaller, weaker opponent faces a much bigger, stronger adversary; if successful, the underdog may win in an unusual or surprising way

Social pages (p. 48):  a page of the newspaper that is largely or entirely devoted to the social and cultural events and gossip of the location covered

Exclusive: a story that no one else has yet reported

Circulation Gate: TBD

Dis: This

Die is cast (p. 49): and idiom used to say the a process or course of action has been started and that is cannot be stopped or changed

Blowhard (p. 50): a person who blusters and boasts in an unpleasant way

Byline: a printed line of text accompanying a news story article or the like giving the author’s name

Wagons: a low 4-wheeled wagon with an open rectangular body like a flat box and a retroflex tongue to be used by a child, usually for carrying newspapers

Wheezin’ your way through the flower show (p. 52): Struggling through something

Vaudeville: a type of entertainment popular in early 20th century America, featuring a mixture of specialty acts such as burlesque comedy and song and dance

Sourpusses: a bad-tempered or habitually sullen person

Cinch: an extremely easy task

Fish-eye (p. 56): a suspicious or unfriendly look

Battalion (p. 58): a large, organized group of people pursuing a common aim or sharing a major undertaking

Strike (p. 61): a refusal to work organized by a body of employees as a form of protest, typically in an attempt to gain a concession or concessions from their employer

Hell to pay: serious trouble will occur as a result of a previous action

One for all and All for one: each individual should act for the benefit of the group, and the group should act for the benefit of each individual

Cheese It (p. 62): Stop, look out

It’s the bulls: It’s the police

Glum mugs (p. 66): sad faces

Blackout (p. 67): suppression of information, especially one imposed on the media by the government

On the lam: in flight, especially from the police

Stow the seriousity: stop the seriousness

Erster: Oyster

Gratis: free, costing nothing

Sheepshead Races (p. 68): A horseracing track located in Sheepshead Bay, New York

Sta’cha: Stature 

Nobbin’: removing the head and gut from fatty fish

Muckety-mucks: an important and often arrogant person 

Blowin’ my dough: Spending all my money

Terlet: toilet

Am-Scray (p. 69): Pig latin for ‘scram’ 

Thunk: past tense of think 

Pant-sies (p. 70): underpants

Highfaultin’: pompous or pretentious (especially in speech, writing or ideas)

Pit’cha: picture

Swattin’ Skirts (p. 75): Shooing away girls

Plum: a highly desirable attainment, accomplishment or acquisition

Horace Greeley: An American journalist who launched the New York Tribune

Non-partisan: a lack of affiliation and biad towards a political party

Palaver: an improvised conference between two groups

Padded room (p. 76): referring to rooms with padded walls in a psychiatric hospital or prison

Goons (p. 78): a violent criminal who is paid to hurt or threaten people

Humpty Dumpty (p. 79): referring to the folk tale

Raid (p. 80): a sudden assault or attack, as upon something to be seized or suppressed

Loitering: to hang around a place with no real purpose, usually somewhere where you are not welcome

Vagrancy: homelessness

Ruffian (p. 81): a violent criminal or troublemaker

Til the cows come home (p. 82): for an indefinitely long time

Nom de plume: (French for pen name) a name that a writer uses instead of his or her real name

Cavalry (p. 86): a source of help or rescue in an emergency, especially as a last resort

Borough: a town, or a district within a large city, which has its own council, government or local services

Brighton Beach: a beach town located in southern Brooklyn

Prospect Park: a park in Brooklyn

Navy Yard Pier: a pier in Brooklyn located on the East River

Manhattan (p. 87): the most densely populated and geographically smallest borough of New York City located almost entirely on Manhattan Island near the southern tip of the state

Flushing: a neighborhood in Queens

Richmond: A borough in New York City, today Staten Island

Eatin’ pavement (p. 91): being beaten up

Newsie Square (p. 92): a fictional name for an area in the southern part of Park Row that was called “Printing-House Square” within sight of the World building and the Tirbune building

Hoe down (p. 96): a social gathering at which lively folk dancing takes place

Trib (p. 97): short for Tribune

Typesetting: the way that text is composed using individual types

Bully (p. 104): very good; excellent

Lookit (p. 108): Look at it

Yis: You all