Difference between revisions of "Chapter 2"

Latest revision as of 00:27, 25 February 2026

Page 12

prohis
"prohis" was a slang term for federal Prohibition agents, who were tasked with enforcing the ban on alcohol during the Prohibition era (1920–1933). The term comes from the shortening and slang-ification of "prohibition".

Mistletoe gin
No major distiller actually marketed a brand called Mistletoe Gin in the 1930s. However, the phrase turns up in literature, old jokes, and cocktail columns as a tongue-in-cheek name — a wink to the idea of “a Christmas spirit that guarantees a kiss.”

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Infernal Machine Of Presumed Italian Origin
If disregarding the "Of" as is common practice in dealing with acronyms (deviating from the establishment of "IMOPIO" from the preceding page): "IMPIO," "impio," Italian for "unholy" or "impious."

These are the people who invented the meatball, the bocce ball – rolling objects, it comes naturally to them
Those Italians and the ball bearing

Bensinger's Recreation
A historic Milwaukee bowling alley and bar, still in existence and now known as Landmark Lanes.

1917 and the bomb that went off...
The single deadliest event in national law enforcement history occurred in Milwaukee on November 24, 1917, when nine officers and two citizens were killed in a bomb blast. The bomb exploded inside the assembly of the Central Police Station at Broadway and Oneida Street, now known as Wells Street. Police were not the intended target. More...

some strictly inter-Italian beef
As every Chicagoan or Upper Peninsula resident or transplant (Arizona-heavy) knows, an Italian beef is a staple of the diet, equal to the Philly cheesesteak, the Chicago hot dog, etc.

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We're the MPD. Ever since that fateful night it's always the force are gonna have first call
This paragraph mirrors the contemporary American situation of 2025 and of the 21st century so far in general, with regard to the so-called hyper-ephemeral War on Terror, or War on (Everything, Take Your Pick). As of this entry written on December 12, 2025, one wonders whether ICE and 'the troops' will be descending concertedly upon Milwaukee, of all places, or who knows where next?

Hoagie Hivnak
This name is a homonym of Hungarian “hogy hívnak” which means “What’s your name?” informally. [1]

Ideal Pharmacy
While the Masur’s Ideal Pharmacy no longer exists, the building does. [2]

Thirty years ago this was no place for kids... house formulas with cocaine as the main ingredient
Thirty years before our story, in 1902, the Los Angeles times ran a story about the dangers of fountain drinks with the sensational title "They Thirst for Cocaine: Soda Fountain Fiends Multiplying". [3]

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ice cream cones
During the Great Depression, ice cream was recognized as an enduring comfort food that could provide a psychological lift during difficult times. Ice cream consumption initially dipped during the 1929 stock market crash but endured as a "sweet" and uplifting food that contrasted with the "depressing foods" common during the era, such as mustard sandwiches. The popular Rocky Road ice cream flavor was invented during the Depression to help lift people's spirits. Its name was intended as a metaphor to help people cope with the "broken, rocky pieces" of life at the time. The Wisconsin Milk Strikes of 1933