Difference between revisions of "Chapter 11"
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| + | '''Aggravated Mopery'''<br /> | ||
| + | “Mopery” is mock police jargon dating from the early 20th century. | ||
| + | It meant, depending on who was joking, "loitering aimlessly," "doing nothing in particular," or "committing an imaginary minor offense." The "charge" of "mopery" was often used in humor columns, radio comedy, and police-court parody sketches to poke fun at petty law enforcement. Adding "aggravated" just made it sound even more absurd, a send-up of inflated legal language. | ||
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| + | During Carnera’s American fame he became a stock comic figure on the radio and in newspaper gags — the big dumb strongman who gets in trouble for silly reasons. Jokes often imagined him being arrested or confused by English phrases. | ||
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| + | '''We haven't even begun to show how dangerous we can be, and the funning thing? Is, is we could be running the country any day now and you'll have to swear loyalty to us because by then we'll be in the next war fighting for our lives...''' | ||
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| + | Pretty resonant with our times, eh? | ||
Latest revision as of 14:02, 8 October 2025
Page 73
a definite Pasadena
The phrase “take a Pasadena” began as a Hollywood–Los Angeles pun in the early 1930s, that is, to take a pass, as in decline an offer
Atlanta, G.A.
Al Capone was sent to Atlanta U.S. Penitentiary in May 1932, aged 33.
Page 74
Aggravated Mopery
“Mopery” is mock police jargon dating from the early 20th century.
It meant, depending on who was joking, "loitering aimlessly," "doing nothing in particular," or "committing an imaginary minor offense." The "charge" of "mopery" was often used in humor columns, radio comedy, and police-court parody sketches to poke fun at petty law enforcement. Adding "aggravated" just made it sound even more absurd, a send-up of inflated legal language.
During Carnera’s American fame he became a stock comic figure on the radio and in newspaper gags — the big dumb strongman who gets in trouble for silly reasons. Jokes often imagined him being arrested or confused by English phrases.
We haven't even begun to show how dangerous we can be, and the funning thing? Is, is we could be running the country any day now and you'll have to swear loyalty to us because by then we'll be in the next war fighting for our lives...
Pretty resonant with our times, eh?
