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18 Jun 07 - 03:47 PM (#2080219) Subject: Folklore: I'll bet you 23-80. What's it mean? From: Cool Beans It's heard several times in the first Nancy Drew movie, released in 1938. It's a way of saying something is a sure bet, like "Dollars to donuts," but what's the significance of the numbers? |
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18 Jun 07 - 06:49 PM (#2080400) Subject: RE: Folklore: I'll bet you 23-80. What's it mean? From: JohnInKansas Some possible answers, specific to Nancy Drew, at Yahoo Answers. It appears to be a specific "in joke" in the novels.(?) John |
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18 Jun 07 - 06:55 PM (#2080405) Subject: RE: Folklore: I'll bet you 23-80. What's it mean? From: Peace "The characters often say '23 80', which refers to the $23.80 fixed weekly payment to WPA workers; so if you bet '23 80', you are betting a lot." "Just a quick note. Love the old slang. Watching the film the term 23 80 (twenty-three eighty) was used a lot by the characters. Did some reseach and it appears that this was the average check paid by the WPA, Depression Era Federal Program. Found citation re:google books. http://books.google.com/books?id=jOo3axOy-yoC&pg=PA236&ots=L4cYinkfsU&dq=%22twenty+three+eighty%22+slang&sig=CKAAUp_BsOeoM6zJgssrof2pUDE regards." Found them on the 'net. |
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18 Jun 07 - 07:10 PM (#2080420) Subject: RE: Folklore: I'll bet you 23-80. What's it mean? From: Cool Beans Thanks, gentlemen! Mudcat comes through again. |