Lowdown

Posted by ESC on March 12, 2004

In Reply to: Lowdown posted by Fred on March 12, 2004

: Any thoughts about the origin of the use of 'lowdown' to refer to inside information?

It's old.

"On the lowdown" -- truthfully, especially confidentially. 1901, W. Irvin "Sonnets." On the low down, dear Mame, my looty lou/ That's why I cooked this batch of rhymes for you. "Lowdown," truth, especially confidentially or a little-known fact. 1917, Robinson "Comics." The Lowdown Kid: I know a guy who knows a bloke who knows a friend of a fellow. From Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Volume 2, H-O, by J.E. Lighter, Random House, New York, 1997.