[Dixielandjazz] "Struttin With Some Barbecue"

[Charlie Hooks]

on 7/28/02 4:50 PM, Stephen Barbone at barbonestreet@earthlink.net wrote:

> "butter and egg man" (a dairy farmer or bumpkin who fancies himself as
> an urban high roller)

...except that this makes no sense at all!  "She wants a dairy farmer who
fancies himself as an urban high roller..."?  "Don't some dairy farmer or
bumpkin want her?" 

    Have heard some silly stuff here and there in my life, but nothing to
beat this!

    No, a "big butter and egg man" in this song and among these words
clearly means some guy who can bring home the bread, the bacon--and the
butter and eggs--but with overtones of: also a good man to make the butter
come and fertilize the eggs.  Farmer?  Bumpkin?  Forget it!

    If the Random House Dictionary of American Slang says things as idiotic
as this, I'm glad to know I needn't buy it.

Charlie