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Origination of phrase

Posted by Masakim on May 15, 2003

In Reply to: Origination of phrase posted by willie on May 15, 2003

: What is the origin of "Licorice Stick" to mean Clarinet? Thanks, missing Benny Goodman

locorice stick A clarinet, from its resemblance to the familiar confection. Associated with swing and jazz musicians, c1935. Now considered affected usage. ... Some archaic jazz use; a synthetic jazz word.
From _Dictionary of American Slang_ by H. Wentworth & S.B. Flexner
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576.16 CLARINETIST. Agony-piper, gob-stick _or_ locorice-stick sucker, silver sucker.
577.10 CLARINET. Agony pipe, black stick, blarinet, clarry, cob stick, gob, gob stick, licorice stick, long stick,... stick of licorice....
578.19 PLAY AN INSTRUMENT. ... lick it, lick the licorice, _to play the clarinet; ...
From _The American Thesaurus of Slang, Second Edition_ by L.V. Berrey & M. Van Den Bark
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She called his clarinet a "licorice stick." Was she corny. (Salinger, _Catcher in the Rye_, 1951)

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