Read the INK Q&A with Howard Blum and save 30% on American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century.
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Read the INK Q&A with Howard Blum and save 30% on American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century.
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GERTIESPEARL542 has commented on (1) product.
Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor by Paul Beatty
GERTIESPEARL542, January 11, 2008
I was trying to find out the meaning of the word "hokum" which appeared in a quote from Groucho Marx. My dictionary did not have the definition so I Googled for one. There are at least two: 1) Synonyms: Nonsense, baloney, bosh, bull, bunkum, flimflam, hooey, jazz, malarkey, poppycock, bunk, humbug, stuff, claptrap; and 2) Hokum is a particular song type of American blues music - a humorous song which uses extended analogies or euphemistic terms to make sexual innuendoes..... Another reference listed on Google was the title of this book and led me to this website.It appears to me that the 2nd definition more closely identifies the subject matter in this book and makes the title so appropriate. I would be interested in reading "Hokum" sometime.
Other material I know of that may also fall into this 2nd definition are the lyrics to the songs coming from the stageplay "Ain't Misbehavin' ".