A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

Recent entries:
“Instead of ‘British Summer Time’ and ‘Greenwich Mean Time’ we should just call them ‘Oven Clock Correct Time’...” (3/28)
“Has anyone here ever drank a pint of tequila? I know it’s a long shot” (3/28)
“A pint of tequila? That’s a long shot” (3/28)
“The U.S. should add three more states. Because 53 is a prime number. Then they can truly be one nation, indivisible” (3/28)
“My love for the truth outweighs my fear of offending you” (3/28)
More new entries...

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z


Entry from July 25, 2004
Johnny Pump
A "Johnny Pump" is a fire hydrant. It's a name that I don't hear much anymore.

I found it first in the following novel, which is full of "classic" New York speech.


Call It Sleep
by Henry Roth
New York: The Noonday Press, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
1991, eleventh printing 1996
(Originally published in 1934)

Pg. 87:
They marched cross the street in single file and stopped before a tall hydrant.

"Jump on Johnny Pump!" commanded Sidney leaping up on the two stumpy arms of the fire-plug.

Posted by Barry Popik
Names/Phrases • Sunday, July 25, 2004 • Permalink


Commenting is not available in this channel entry.