Carny Lingo - the Ultimate List

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86'ed — Banned from the lot. The term is in general use meaning "we have no more [something]" or "to get rid of [something]." There are many 'folk etymologies' explaining the origin of the term, but all are dubious.

A&S Man — "Age and Scale" operator ("guess your age or weight" operator). More commonly known as "Fool the Guesser," the game can be operated as a hanky-pank (q.v.) or any of several other ways.

AB — Amusement Business, the trade magazine of the outdoor entertainment industry.

ABA — A commercial "traveler's check," often purchased under assumed names, useful for carrying and transferring large sums of cash without bank or I.R.S. scrutiny.

Add-Up Joint, or Add 'Em Up — Game where each play (each dart thrown, ball rolled, balloon broken...) scores points that are totaled for the player. In its most direct form, it is a fair enough game (though it is illegal in some areas as a 'game of chance') but it is very similar to the larcenous "razzle dazzle' game which adds a 'build up' feature (q.v.) and cannot be won.

Advance Man — Employee who handles details such as licenses and sponsors before a carnival arrives in town, and sometimes handles bribes to local officials for leaving the carnival alone.

After-Catch — Items sold to show patrons after they have paid their admission and seen the show.

Agent — The one who works a game, especially a game that requires some skill and finesse to sell to the marks, and most especially a rigged game. Sometimes the owner, sometimes an employee working on percentage. Many carnies feel that the name 'agent' implies dishonesty. Skilled agents would be bored (and overpaid) working a no-skill joint like a dime pitch.

Alibi Store — A game in which the agent gives you an alibi, an explanation of why you didn't win. Maybe "you threw the ball too fast," or how you violated the rules (leaned over the foul line, etc.) He often offers you a "better" chance to win (for another fee, of course) but you'll never win a thing. There's no need to hide the gaff when the authorities inspect, and big replay profits (until the mark catches on, of course, and starts a beef.)

Alligator Man — Sideshow human oddity afflicted with skin condition, commonly icthyosis, that gives the skin a scaly, reptilian appearance.

Amusement Business — The trade magazine of the trade, originally "The Billboard". Many traveling showmen would use Billboard as their address — the magazine would forward mail to them along the show's route.

Anatomical Wonder — A sideshow performer able to do stunts such as 'the man without a stomach' (pulling the gut in until the backbone shows), pulling themselves through a coat hanger or tennis racket, and other India Rubber Man stunts.

Apple Joint, Cigarette Joint — Game joints in which you throw darts or pitch coins hoping to hit a sticker printed to resemble an apple or a cigarette pack (usually with the distinctive "Lucky Strike" red circle). At one time, the prize in the cigarette joint was a pack of cigarettes.

Arcade — A tent housing coin-operated amusement games — normally only on larger shows.

Arrow — A paper sign, consisting simply of a large (usually red) printed arrow, used to mark the route between towns. Taped to road signs by the 24-hour man the day before the show moves. Can be placed in any orientation: the occasional straight-up arrow to tell you you're on the right track, a single tilted arrow to warn of an upcoming turn, and two or three tilted arrows in a group to indicate where to turn.

At' Show (also called "catch wrestling") — 'At' is short for "Athletic", and indicates a wrestling show where locals are challenged to enter the ring and beat (or last a certain amount of time against) the carnival's champion wrestler. The local boys might be persuaded to secretly cooperate, delivering an arranged win or loss as intended. Matches would usually last less than five minutes, followed by a return to the bally platform, where the loser (always the towner in the first match) would loudly demand a rematch, complaining that he'd been cheated. Many in the audience would pay to go back in to see the local hero try again, watching carefully to catch any cheating. This might be worth repeating several times until the locals tired of it or ran out of money. The traveling wrestlers had an effective repertoire of "concession holds", or "hooks," which would let them end the match in an assured victory at will. The hooks were so painful that the local boy would shout a loud "uncle" or "I give" or just "aaaaaargh!", eliminating any suspicion that the referee had ruled unfairly.

Aunt Sally — "Aunt Sally," originally a fairground game, is now a pub game played almost exclusively in a very small area in Britain. It featured a figure of an old woman's head with a pipe in its mouth. The goal was to to break off the pipe by throwing a baton about 18" long. The target has since been simplified into a small cylinder (still called "the dolly") atop a stake, to be knocked off by the baton. The game was sufficiently widespread and popular that by 1898 "Aunt Sally" was a colloquialism in mainstream use meaning someone who was the object of easy but unfair attack.

B.C. — "Be cool," a warning to stop whatever you are doing or saying. Perhaps the Chief of Police is watching you while you're about to take all his daughter's money, so STOP whatever you are doing immediately and find out why the person said B.C.

"Baby Needs Milk" — When you see a fellow carny flirting with a townie, you might wander by and say this just to mess up your buddy's 'score', either as a joke or if you know that this particular townie has … oh, say, the police chief for a father.

Baby Show — Also known as 'unborn,' 'life,' 'bottle,' 'freak baby' and 'pickled punk show.'

Back End — The far end of the lot, where the large shows and rides are located. This placement of strong attractions draws customers from the gate through the entire length of the lot. It doesn't help anyone if patrons linger at the front end and do not circulate, so a particularly strong back-end attraction can take home as much as 50% of its gross income, sometimes (when other back-end attractions are weak) even 100%. Concessions, wherever located, are considered part of the front end.

Back Yard — Sometimes also called "the living lot." Here, away from public access, are private trailers for living and storage.

Back Yard Boy — A general gofer, sometimes a 'roughie' but more often an inexperienced helper.

Backtracking — When an independent attraction or a small carnival does not have its entire season arranged beforehand, it may find that the only good lot in its next location has been already taken by another outfit. The only choice then may be to backtrack and replay a town you have already visited this season, resulting in sparse business and discouraged agents.

Baffle Blocks — Six-sided or eight-sided or more logs used as dice. They resemble the dice used in some ancient Chinese gambling games.

Bag Man or Fixer — The official in the locale where the carnival is set up to whom protection money is paid, either to overlook actual violations or not to find imaginary ones.

Bail the Counter — As in "bail out of an airplane." Usually, the only way out of a joint is to "bail", or jump over the counter.

THE BALLY

Bally or Ballyhoo — The "Bally" is the "outside talker's" spiel drawing a crowd (known as a "tip") to see a sideshow. The bally is a sophisticated commercial, usually illustrated with quick appearances by the performers featured in the show. Its longer, original form, "Ballyhoo," has come into general usage meaning "to attract the attention of customers/voters by raising a clamor." The word originated at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, in the "Streets of Cairo" pavilion. The performers from the Middle East spoke only Arabic. Exhibit manager W.O. Taylor would call the Beledi dancers (a term later corrupted, also by Taylor, to "belly dancers") and musicians out during slack periods to attract a crowd. Since these calls were on no set schedule, the tired performers would mutter "D'Allah hun", roughly meaning "Oh, for God's sake!", as they rose to the extra duty. Taylor began simply calling them to (as he heard it) "ballyhoo." We do not know, though we can guess, what else the performers may have had to say in Arabic about the boss. The bally is also known as the "first opening," while the inside talker would introduce the crowd to the show with the "second opening."

There are several distinct parts to the classic bally:

MAKING THE OPENING

"Making the opening" is attracting the attention of everyone within earshot. The object is to assemble a crowd … they don't have to be eager attendees, they just have to be willing to pause for a moment to find out what you are yelling about.

Ward Hall recently told the Sideshow Central website that "drawing a tip is just the start. Then you need to freeze the tip while the talker makes the pitch. The things that work best: daytime, a beautiful girl in a revealing costume holding a big fat snake. At night: fire eating with a fire blast, fire juggling, or even better, a strong freak."

The word "free" is particularly attractive. The crowd is being separated from their money at every point along the way from the gate to the "back end" where the biggest sideshows are usually placed. Anything they can get free is a real relief (they don't quite catch on that the whole idea is to take even more of their cash).

THAT’S RIGHT FOLKS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A FREE SHOW RIGHT HERE, COME ON OVER FOR THE BIG FREE SHOW! GATHER AROUND AND WATCH WHAT WE’RE GONNA DO, IT'S ALL FREE AND IT'S STARTING RIGHT NOW! THIS IS THE ONE YOU'VE READ ABOUT, YOU'VE HEARD YOUR NEIGHBORS TALKING ABOUT IT, AND HERE IT IS, ALL LIVE, RIGHT HERE AND STARTING RIGHT NOW!"

To keep the crowd once you have their attention, build anticipation - something very interesting is going to happen and it's just about to be revealed!

"WE'RE GONNA BRING OUT THE FIRE EATER, THE SNAKE GIRL, THE INDONESIAN MIDGETS … WATCH THE DOORWAY, HERE THEY COME, WE’RE GONNA BRING ‘EM OUT HERE, ALL FREE, SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE. HERE COMES THE PRINCESS OF FIRE, SHE'S GOING TO SWALLOW A LITTLE FIRE FOR YOU RIGHT NOW … WATCH THE DOORWAY, KEEP YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN, YOU DON’T WANNA MISS ANY OF THE ACTS, AND IT’S ALL FREE…”

The performers working the bally might work only there, and not appear inside. On a busy evening, when a steady stream of people pass your spot nonstop from early afternoon through late night, there is no time for the bally performers to go inside and entertain. The bally should only last five or six minutes, with do six to ten repetitions per hour. Ward Hall recently wrote that the best shows let three talkers each work one hour and rest for two, to keep up the ability to project intense energy and to sense and respond to the finest current in the crowd's mood.

BUILDING THE TIP

You’ve assembled a gaggle of freeloaders, but they're not a "tip" until they're paying close and continued attention. A few people, successfully mesmerized, will attract a larger crowd ("What are all those people looking at? Let's go check it out!") You must keep them amused so they don’t drift away. You might also use a "stick" (a shill) to subtly herd the tip people into a tightly-packed bunch so that it becomes difficult for anyone to fight their way out of the tip (much easier to stay and see the interesting stuff.) Add a "draw": a little business, a gag, some bull designed to draw the tip inexorably close to the bally platform. Bobby Reynolds was famed for pulling out a bill, rolling it into a cone, and saying "I'M GONNA DO A LITTLE MAGIC FOR YOU, THIS WAS TAUGHT TO ME BY OUR MASTER MAGICIAN, JUST ONE OF THE TEN ACTS YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ON THE INSIDE. WATCH THE BILL," and he would stick it into his lapel. Every now and then he'd interrupt his pitch to say "WATCH THE BILL" but he'd never go near it again and never actually perform a trick with it. Nevertheless, people would push and crowd in until they were packed in like sardines with no escape, and nobody ever asked when the trick was going to be done. To entertain is not the purpose of the bally. It is to stop people so you can sell the contents of the show. The entertainment is on the inside.

THE PITCH

Now you have a "tip," and it's time to give them "the pitch," the part where you describe in glowing hyperbole the glories to be seen inside. You might want to introduce a “hook”, a promise of something that is just about to happen or a feature you must not miss.

Stall … "I'M GONNA WAKE UP THE FAT LADY, SWEET LITTLE TAMMY FROM MIAMI, MY GOD IS SHE EVER FAT! IT TAKES FOUR MEN TO HUG HER AND A BOXCAR TO LUG HER - WHERE IS SHE? GO IN THERE AND DRAG HER OUT HERE. SHE'S 520 POUNDS OF BEAUTY - SHE'S GONNA DO A LITTLE DANCE FOR YOU, AND WHEN SHE DOES THE WHOLE TENT SHAKES. Stall some more … "WHERE IS THE FAT LADY, GET HER OUT HERE!" Refresh the hook from time to time by referring to it or elaborating on it; for example, on a girl show, “EACH OF THESE LOVELY GIRLS IS UNADORNED, JUST AS NATURE MADE HER, HER MODESTY PROTECTED ONLY BY A RED KIMONO. I WANT YOU TO LOOK VERY CAREFULLY AT THESE KIMONOS, THEY'RE HANDMADE OF THE FINEST SATEEN. STUDY THEM VERY CAREFULLY, BECAUSE ONCE YOU'RE INSIDE YOU'RE NEVER GONNA SEE THEM AGAIN! SOME OF YOU MAY BE WONDERING ABOUT THE SILVER WHISTLE BEING SHOWN BY THE LOVELY BAMBI LANE [blows whistle] THAT'S THE SOUND YOU WANT TO HEAR … BAMBI, TELL THEM WHY! "(Bambi giggles, winks and says:) "EVERYTHING GOES WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS!"

Command, use your authority (people are used to following the instructions of someone louder and higher than they are.) Then pitch what you’ve got inside, describe the excitement they'll experience, the rare opportunity to see something thrilling. "YOU'LL SEE THE FREAKS, THE STRANGE PEOPLE, THE WEIRD PEOPLE, YOU'LL SEE WHAT THEY DO, HEAR WHAT THEY TALK ABOUT." Talkers became experts at painting word pictures: "YOU’RE GOING TO SEE JOHANN PETURSSON, THE VIKING GIANT. THAT'S RIGHT, THIS IS NOT AN ILLUSION, NOT A PICTURE BOOK, A REAL LIVE GIANT, HE STANDS NINE FEET SEVEN INCHES TALL, WEIGHS SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTY THREE POUNDS." No matter that the real Petursson's driver's license measured him at only 7'10". Every time you tell the story the numbers change … what are they going to do, bring in a scale and a tape measure? A good talker could at implant the idea that this experience would be "interactive" and personally involving. "HE IS REAL, HE IS ALIVE, YOU CAN TALK TO HIM, HE WILL ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. YOU CAN SHAKE THE GIANT BY THE HAND, A HAND THE SIZE OF A VIRGINIA HAM. HE IS POSITIVELY THE LARGEST MAN TO WALK THE FACE OF THE EARTH.

Strain credibility, even invite skepticism. "SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT! WHILE WE'RE WAITING FOR THE FAT LADY, I WANT YOU TO TAKE A LOOK FROM WAY DOWN HERE TO WAY DOWN HERE, YOU'LL SEE ONE HUNDRED FEET OF BANNERS, YOU'LL SEE THE ELECTRIC GIRL, THE SEAL BOY, THE ETHIOPIAN GLASS EATER, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE EVERYTHING ON MY RIGHT, AND EVERYTHING ON MY LEFT, EVERY ONE OF THEM ALIVE JUST AS DEPICTED. IF YOU FAIL TO SEE EVERY FEATURE I'VE PROMISED, ALL ALIVE AND CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH, SEE ME AFTER THE SHOW AND I'LL REFUND YOUR MONEY AS GLADLY AS I'VE TAKEN IT."

Use superlatives and florid language, but use it in a calculated way and refine it with practice or it will sound foolish. "NOW FELLAS, COME RIGHT UP CLOSE HERE FOR A GOOD LOOK, BECAUSE I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A LITTLE TASTE OF THE BIG SHOW INSIDE. HERE COME JUST A FEW OF THE BEAUTIES YOU'LL SEE: DIRECT FROM LAS VEGAS, THE BEAUTIFUL BRANDI ALEXANDER … HERE'S MISTY MORN, ISN'T SHE LOVELY? THIS IS THE SHOW YOU'VE HEARD YOUR NEIGHBORS TALKING ABOUT, AND NOW'S THE TIME TO SEE IT FOR YOURSELF - AND HERE'S SERENA THE TEMPTRESS, THE GIRL THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH THE ACT THEY HAVE TO WHISPER ABOUT. THESE GIRLS ARE RED HOT AND WILD - THEY'RE GONNA TWITCH IT AND TWATCH IT WHILE YOU WATCH IT, AND WHEN THEY'RE DONE YOU'LL KNOW SOME THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE. MAN OH MAN, THEY'RE HOTTER THAN THE FOURTH OF JULY, THEY'VE GOT ALL THE THINGS YOU LIKE A GIRL TO HAVE AND THEY'RE GONNA SHAKE 'EM LOOSE LIKE A BUCKET OF JUICE. NOW YOU'VE GOT A CHOICE … YOU CAN STAND THERE WITH YOUR HANDS IN YOUR POCKETS SHAKING HANDS WITH THE UNEMPLOYED, OR YOU CAN COME INSIDE - I DUNNO WHY THEY EVEN HAVE SEATS IN THERE, BECAUSE BECAUSE YOU'LL BE STANDING STRAIGHT UP. THIS IS WHERE YOU SEE THE FLAMES, SMELL THE SMOKE AND HEAR THE CANNONS ROAR, SO ROLL UP BOYS, GET YOUR TICKETS AND GO NOW, IT'S SHOWTIME AT THE WHIRLY GIRLY REVUE !"

The bally is both practiced and improvisational. Reading the crowd and reacting to them is an art. Ward Hall suggested the use of three talkers each working one hour and resting for two, to keep up the ability to project intense energy and to sense, and respond to, the crowd's mood. Bally talkers often specialized, with one talker making the opening and another making the pitch and turning the tip. Tyler Fyre, interviewed for the Sideshow Central website, said, "Often we get people inside the sideshow from a bally who [didn't] want to watch a sideshow at all. That’s when you know that the talker is really doing a good job."

TURNING THE TIP and THE JAM

The turn is the point at which the sales pitch becomes a call to action. The term probably comes from turning a herd of cattle, and what human cow could resist a bargain? For that matter, what human cow could get out of the assembled, tightly-packed tip once the crowd started moving to the ticket booth and the entrance?

“I WANT YOU ALL TO SEE THE MAGICIAN, THE FIRE EATER, THE FAT LADY, SERPENTINA, THE ELECTRIC GIRL AND ALL THE OTHER GREAT ACTS YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT, SO WE ARE GOING TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL. SEE THE SIGN THAT SAYS 'ADMISSION $2 FOR ADULTS AND $1.50 FOR CHILDREN'? FORGET ABOUT IT. (JOE, PUT THOSE $2 TICKETS AWAY) OUR TICKET TAKER IS SETTING A TIMER FOR THREE MINUTES, AND WHILE IT'S TICKING HE'S GOING TO LET YOU ALL IN, ALL YOU NICE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN STANDING HERE LISTENING TO ME, HE'S GOING TO LET YOU ALL IN TO SEE THE SHOW, THE SAME SHOW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PAYING FULL PRICE FOR ALL DAY, HE'S GOING TO LET YOU IN FOR JUST ONE DOLLAR - BUT THE $1 TICKETS ARE ON SALE FOR THREE MINUTES AND THREE MINUTES ONLY, SO THIS IS A MIGHTY GOOD TIME TO SEE THE SHOW, THE FULL SHOW, FOR JUST A DOLLAR, BUT YOU HAVE TO GO NOW."

This begins the 'jam' and the momentum is kept up by a 'grind.' The jam is the ratcheting up of the call to action by introducing a sense of urgency. ("Just three minutes? Gosh, I hope I can get up there in time!") Of course, no one is ever too late, but they think they might be. Think of a modern-day television commercial: "Call in the next 10 minutes and we'll also include a second bottle free!"

After the “turn” the bally talker might change his pace, or possibly even hand the microphone to a “spieler” or “grind man” who would, as they say, "grind": continue the sense of urgency. "THAT'S RIGHT, THEY'RE ALL ALIVE ON THE INSIDE AND THE TICKETS ARE GOING FAST!" (What's he gonna do, run out of tickets?) "JUST TWO MINUTES LEFT, DON'T MISS A MOMENT OF IT! SEE IT ALL IF YOU ARE QUICK ENOUGH TO GET IN LINE, JUST A DOLLAR AT EITHER ONE OF THESE TWO TICKET BOXES. FOLLOW YOUR NEIGHBORS, THEY KNOW WHERE THEY'RE GOING, THEY'RE GOING INSIDE, THEY'RE GONNA SEE THE FREAKS, THE WEIRD PEOPLE, ALL ALIVE, WAITING FOR YOU INSIDE. THIS SHOW IS ONE OF A KIND, THE WORLD'S GREATEST GATHERING OF HUMAN CURIOSITIES. YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THESE PEOPLE FROM YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOU'VE READ ABOUT THEM IN THE NEWSPAPERS, YOU'VE SEEN THEM ON TELEVISION, AND THEY'RE WAITING FOR YOU ON THE INSIDE, ALL REAL, ALL ALIVE. ONE DOLLAR, ONE DOLLAR, I DON'T WANNA HOLLER, IT'S JUST ONE DOLLAR, THE BEST VALUE ON THE MIDWAY, GO NOW, NOW'S THE TIME TO GO. JUST ONE MINUTE LEFT TO SEE IT ALL FOR THIS SPECIAL LOW PRICE! FRIENDS, DON'T GO OFF AND GET YOURSELF SOMETHING TO DRINK AND COME BACK LATER THINKING YOU'LL GET IN FOR A BUCK, THE TIMER IS TICKING YOU HAVE TO GO NOW. MOVE RIGHT ON UP TO THE BOX, I HAVE TO GO IN AND START THE SHOW, AND WHEN I GO IT'S GOODBYE TO THIS SPECIAL PRICE - LAST CALL ON THE DOLLAR DEAL, IT'S SHOWTIME ON THE INSIDE!"

THE BLOWOFF

After you have them inside, fairly captive, and have shown them the best you have, you have a chance to make your real money. Why? Because you don't have to split your "inside money" with the front office! Throughout the show, the giant has been selling huge rings, the Mule-Faced Girl and the Lizard-Skinned Man have been selling pitch cards with their photo and bio, and on and on. Now it's time for a final "surprise" sales pitch. After you've delivered all you promised, the star attraction or the inside talker would always give the people a chance to see something really special … for an extra charge. Here, the current of the carnival's dark reputation runs deepest. Perhaps the additional attraction would be the chance to come up on stage and look down into the Blade Box, where the young lady inside simply must be naked. Perhaps it would be the chance to buy a pitch item "for men only," or to see a part of the tattooed lady's anatomy that might not be appropriate to show women and children. Or the talker could suddenly slow the rapid-fire parade of claims to draw attention by contrast of pace — tell a story, and aim the appeal seemingly straight at the emotions (adding the suggestion of an awful horror just behind this curtain):

"Ladies and children, i want to call you down to the platform at the far end, where THE MASTER OF MAGIC will mystify you with feats of legerdemain.

"And now, gentlemen, I want to draw your attention to a special added attraction not advertised on the outside — and to give you a full appreciation of what you are about to see, let me tell you a brief story.

"One night a few months ago, our show was closed, there was a heavy rain, and late at night I heard a sound outside my tent. There, standing in the mud, was a woman with a bundle wrapped in a heavy cloth. I told her we were closed, but she said she had something to show me. and as she stood there and unwrapped the bundle, she revealed a sight I can never forget. She showed me what YOU ARE about to sEE BEHIND THIS CURTAIN … little kashmir singh from mysore, india.

"You men look like strong men … like me, you think you have seen the worst the world has to offer … but when I looked down at the child she was holding, I wished to God I had never seen it. Gentlemen, when you get home, look at your children. Love them, hug them, and give thanks to God that you do not have a child like this.

" For a goodwill offering of just 50¢, you can go with me behind THIS curtain and see what I saw that rainy night. We make no apology for this small additional fee, This is that woman's only means of support, She and her normal children back in mysore, INDIA, have no other income than these few meager pennies. and once you have seen the child behind THIS curtain, you will never forget it. "

The exhibit, of course, was not alive, but a "pickled punk," a deformed fetus in a jar of formaldehyde - two heads, perhaps, or something worse.

THE BALLY CD

We offer a CD of almost a full hour of old-time ballys from "grind shows" - these ballys were recorded on 8-track tapes and played in an endless loop outside the enter-any-time shows on midways of the 1960s.

Click here to see details and hear audio samples