Carny is the singular slang for a carnival employee, as well as the language they employ. Carnies is the plural. The term is also used in reference to pro-wrestling jargon.^[1] A Carny is anyone who runs a "joint" (booth), "grab joint" (food stand), game, or ride at a carnival. (Alt. spelling - Carnie)^{[citation needed]}www.m-w.com/dictionary/Carnie Carny or Carnie may refer to: Carny, a slang term Carny (film), 1980 film starring Jodie Foster Carnie Wilson, entertainer Your Funeral. ... Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ... A travelling funfair has many attractions, including adult or thrill rides, childrens rides, and sideshows consisting of games of skill, strength, or luck. ... Professional wrestling is a form of performance entertainment where the participants engage in simulated sporting matches. ... For the glossary of hacker slang, see Jargon File. ...

Etymology

The word carny is thought to have become popularized around 1931 in North America, when it was first colloquially used to describe "one who works at a carnival." The word carnival, originally meaning a "time of merrymaking before Lent," came into use circa 1549, and is derived from the Italian carnevale for "Shrove Tuesday". The older Milanese Italian forms include carnevale and the Old Pisan carnelevare which interpreted means "to remove meat," is literally translated "raising flesh," from the Latin caro, meaning "flesh" and levare, meaning to "lighten, raise". Folk etymology from the Middle Latin is carne vale, interpreted as "flesh farewell."^{[citation needed]} North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... It has been suggested that Cuaresma be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ...

Carnival Jargon

Note: Though these terms are traditionally part of Carnival jargon, it is an ever changing form of communication and in large part designed to be impossible to understand by an outsider. Thus, as words are assimilated into the culture at large, they lose their function and are replaced by other more obscure or insular terms.^{[citation needed]}

• Bally - A free performance intended to attract both tips and visitors to the nearby sideshow.
• Call - The act of yelling out slogans and interacting with passers-by to attract business.
• Slough - Tear down your "joint". Get it ready for the road.
• Spring - Open the carnival.
• Scratch - the revenue from a concession.
• Oats - stolen money from a concession.
• -'iz' or 'erza'- - inserted between the syllables of words to serve as a cipher or cryptolect.
• Mark - A target for swindling, especially one whose gullibility has been demonstrated. Derived from the covert use of chalk to mark the backs of especially ripe targets. The term has entered the popular lexicon, usually as "easy mark."
• Sharpie - The opposite of a mark: an experienced player who is wise to traditional carny scams and is skilled at the games themselves.
• The Nut - The sum total (in cash) of a performance, or group of performances
• The Kitty - Budgeted amount of finance, regulated by the management of a carnival for purchasing food and supplies for its workers. ("We wanted a new tent, but there's no more scratch in the kitty")
• Rousty or Roustabout - A temporary or full-time laborer who helps pitch concessions and assemble rides. In the 1930s, American Rousty's would work for a meal and perhaps a tent to share with other workers.
• Sugar Shack - a concession or food-stand that doubles as a front for drug commerce & trafficking.
• Donniker - Bathroom
• Larry - Defective
• Hammer-Squash - Used to describe an individual as dumb or stupid (used interchangeably with Larry when used to describe an person).
• New - An insult used by carnies, against carnies. Used in instances where a carnival worker should know better, with the insulter asking "What are you, new?"
• Straight - A game that is played by the rules
• Alibi - A technique used where the player has apparently won the game, but is denied a prize when the jointee invents a further, unforeseeable, condition of the game. For example, a player may be disqualified on the grounds of having leaned over a previously undisclosed "foul line."
• Flat - A game that is rigged so that you cannot win. Illegal in most states.

Many carnies "qualify" outsiders by using the jargon. This article is about algorithms for encryption and decryption. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with cant (language). ... The victim of a confidence game or magic trick is often called the mark, or the vic. ...

• Gaff - To rig a game so as to make it unwinnable
• Hey Rube - An exclamation used to summon help by a carny in trouble, either from police or disgruntled players. The term was used as the title of a sports column written by Hunter Thompson for ESPN.com in his later years.
• Two-Way Joint - A game that can be quickly converted from a fixed, unwinnable game into a temporarily honest one when police officers come by.
• Ikey Heyman - A wheel of fortune that can be secretly braked by the carny
• Burn the lot - To cheat players with little or no attempt to conceal the subterfuge, in the carny's expectation that the same town will not be visited again.
• Patch money - Money used to induce police officers to turn a blind eye. Also known as "juice" or "ice."
• Spinning / flying Jenny or Jinny - Carnie slang for merry-go-round.^[2]
• Mooch - An individual who asks for a free game or prize. It is also used to describe someone who watches others play, but does not play themselves or asks a lot of questions with no intention of playing the game. Sometimes used as an insult between carnies to connote cheapness.
• Glass hammer - An object a carnival worker will ask a younger customer for when asked for a free game or prize. The idea is that the 'mooch' will go onto the next game and ask for a glass hammer, only to find out that this new carny has one, but can only give it up for some other far fetched item. Examples of such items include: A cordless extension cord, a solar-powered flash light, an underwater lighter, tack glue, a left handed screwdriver, etc. The idea is to have fun at the customer's naivety.
• Stick Joint - Homemade wooden or metal booth.
• Blow Off - Rush of customers out of an exhibition.

Hey, Rube! is a circus slang term most commonly used in the United States with origins in the middle 19th century. ...

Carnies in film and literature

• Freaks is a cult classic 1932 movie directed by Tod Browning and starring carnies. The movie is about relationships among the carnies in a troupe. The film followed a string of now classic horror movies and was made by the director of Dracula with Bela Lugosi.
• In "Joe Dirt," the 2001 redneck comedy starring David Spade, the title character works as a "rideboy" for part of the film.
• Carny is a 1980 movie directed by Robert Kaylor and starring Gary Busey, Jodie Foster, Robbie Robertson, and Meg Foster. The film has become a cult favorite.
• Carnies is a 2007 movie directed by Brian Corder and starring Chris Staviski, Doug Jones, Reggie Bannister, and Lee Perkins.
• Much of the fiction of pulp writer Fredric Brown features carnies and touches on carnival life, in particular the Ed and Am Hunter mysteries, beginning with The Fabulous Clipjoint in 1947.
• Geek Love is a novel by Katherine Dunn that mixes surrealism and horror.
• Nightmare Alley is a 1947 movie starring Tyrone Power and directed by Edmund Goulding, adapted from the novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham, which chronicles the rise and fall of a carny con man.
• Gun Crazy, a 1949 movie directed by Joseph H. Lewis, stars Peggy Cummins as Annie Laurie Starr, a trick-shot artist in a carnival.
• In Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, the protagonist Michael spends some time living with carnies.
• In Theodore Sturgeon's, The Dreaming Jewels, the hero flees with carnies to escape a brutal father. The head carny collects unusual people because he has discovered strange jewels that create people as works of art. Sturgeon himself worked as a carny for a time.
• Tattoo of a Naked Lady is a novel by ex-carny Randy Everhard that depicts the freakshow of American sexuality.
• In the 1988 movie Two Moon Junction, Richard Tyson plays a carny who falls in love with a rich, southern socialite (Sherilyn Fenn)
• In the 2003 Tim Burton film Big Fish, Edward Bloom (Ewan McGregor) works for a travelling carnival for a period of time.
• Carnie Kid Tells All - collection of short stories and newspaper columns by writer Ilan Fisher. Book title takes its name from the story of a 12-year-old boy who leaves town with a traveling show.
• An episode of Fairly Oddparents depicted Timmy Turner going to a carnival, and joining with the Carnies there. He eventually becomes too good, leading the Carnies to try to get rid of him "Carny-style!". Later, it is revealed that they are all fairies in disguise (except for the crocodile Carny).
• In Dean Koontz novel, Twilight Eyes.
• Diary of a Carny A popular Carny Blog by a writer named "Kevin Morra" containing stories of the road, insights etc.

For other uses, see Freak (disambiguation). ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Charles Albert Browning, Jr. ... Dracula is a 1931 horror film produced by Universal Pictures Co. ... Bela Lugosi as Dracula United States stamp. ... Joe Dirt is a 2001 comedy film starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan and Kid Rock. ... David Wayne Spade (born July 22, 1964) is an Emmy-Award and Golden Globe-nominated American actor, comedian, television personality who gained fame in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... William Gary Busey (born 29 June 1944) is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-nominated American film and stage actor. ... Alicia Christian Foster (born November 19, 1962), better known as Jodie Foster, is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress, director, and producer. ... Robbie Robertson (born Jaime Robert Robertson, 5 July 1943, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a songwriter, guitarist and singer, best known for his membership in The Band. ... Meg Foster (Born: May 10, 1948 in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA) is an American actress. ... Carnies is a 2007 horror movie directed by Brian Corder. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... Doug Jones can refer to different people: Doug Jones: a Politican Doug Jones: a film actor Doug Jones: a former Heavyweight boxer Doug Jones: a former MLB relief pitcher Douglas W. Jones: a computer scientist and electronic voting expert For Doug Jones, the politician, see: * Category: ... Reggie Bannister (September 29, 1945-) is an American actor and director most known for his role as Reggie, a balding ex ice cream man, in director Don Coscarellis Phantasm series. ... This article is about inexpensive fiction magazines. ... Fredric Brown (October 29, 1906, Cincinnati – March 11, 1972) was a science fiction and mystery writer. ... The Fabulous Clipjoint, first published in 1947, is the first full-length novel by writer Fredric Brown, although at that point in his career he had already honed his craft by publishing hundreds of short stories in the pulp magazines of the day. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Geek Love is a novel by Katherine Dunn and first published in 1983. ... Katherine Dunn is a novelist, journalist, book reviewer, and poet from Portland, Oregon. ... Nightmare Alley is a 20th Century Fox film noir released in 1947. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. ... Edmund Goulding (March 20, 1891 - December 21, 1959) was, among other things, an English-born film director. ... Nightmare Alley is a novel by William Lindsay Gresham. ... William Lindsay Gresham. ... A confidence trick, confidence game, or con for short, (also known as a scam) is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. ... Gun Crazy (originally released as Deadly is the Female) is a 1949 film noir film about a couple (Laurie and Bart) who go on a cross-country robbery-shooting spree, that is considered the forerunner to the film Bonnie and Clyde. ... Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of hard science fiction. ... For other uses, see Stranger in a Strange Land (disambiguation). ... Theodore Sturgeon (February 26, 1918 Staten Island, New York – May 8, 1985) was an American science fiction author. ... The Dreaming Jewels is a science fiction novel by Theodore Sturgeon, published in 1950. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Two Moon Junction is a 1988 drama film and romance film directed by Zalman King, starring Sherilyn Fenn and Richard Tyson. ... Richard Martin Tyson (February 13, 1961 in Mobile, Alabama, USA), is an American actor. ... Sherilyn Fenn (born Sheryl Ann Fenn[1] on February 1, 1965 in Detroit, Michigan) is an Emmy and Golden Globe award nominated American actress and filmmaker, best known for playing Audrey Horne on the cult TV series Twin Peaks, for her roles in Ruby, Of Mice and Men, Boxing Helena... Timothy Tim William Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an Academy Award-nominated American film director, writer and designer. ... Big Fish is a 2003 fantasy drama film, directed by Tim Burton and written by John August. ... Ewan Gordon McGregor (born March 31, 1971) (IPA pronunciation: [1]) is a Scottish actor who has had significant success in mainstream, indie and art house films. ... The Fairly OddParents is one of the most popular cartoons on Nickelodeon The Fairly OddParents is an animated series created by Butch Hartman and was first aired in March 30, 2001. ... Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945 in Everett, Pennsylvania), also known under a number of pseudonyms, including Leigh Nichols, is an American writer. ... Twilight Eyes is a novel by the best-selling author Dean Koontz, released in 1985. ...

References in popular culture

• The HBO dramatic television series Carnivàle is a supernatural period drama set in the United States during the Great Depression, telling the story of a travelling carnival in the Dust Bowl with an overarching story about the battle between good and evil as well as the struggle between free will and destiny.

• The Simpsons episode: "Bart Carny". In the episode, Bart Simpson and Homer Simpson are forced to work as carnies after Bart destroys Hitler's car. After failing to bribe Police Chief Clancy Wiggum the ring toss game that they are fraudulently running is shut down. Throughout the episode various carny jargon is used.

• From Tattoo of a Naked Lady: "Carnies and circus people hate each other from way back when. We’re two different tribes. Like Hatfields and McCoys. Nobody even remembers how or why the feud started but every year there’s a dead body or two to keep it going."

• In Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers tells Basil Exposition that he is afraid of only two things – nuclear war and "Carnies. Circus Folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage. Small hands."

For other uses, see HBO (disambiguation). ... Carnivàle, pronounced // (“car-nih-VAL”), was an American dramatic television series produced by HBO. Created by Daniel Knauf, it starred Nick Stahl and Clancy Brown. ... Dust storm approaching Stratford, Texas, in 1935. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Bart Carny is the twelfth episode of the ninth season of the The Simpsons. ... For the comic book series of the same name, see Bart Simpson comics. ... Homer Simpson is also a character in the book and film The Day of the Locust. ... Chief of Police in United States usage is the title typically given to the head of a police department. ... Police Chief Clancy Wiggum (b. ... Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, directed by Jay Roach, is the first film of the Austin Powers series. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Basil Exposition is a fictional character portrayed by Michael York in the Austin Powers series of 1960s spy-film parodies. ... This article is about nuclear war as a form of actual warfare, including history. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 191st day of the year (192nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Dictionary of Carnival and Sideshow Slang