Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

two cents slick

English answer:

wily or conniving in a cheap and petty way

Added to glossary by Charles Davis
Mar 1, 2013 06:22
11 yrs ago
English term

two cents slick

English Art/Literary Slang
"Sonji [first wife of Muhammad Ali) was two cents slick, if you understand the term."

These are the words of one of Muslim ministers in Ali's entourage about his first wife, as I indicated. Then he goes on to say: "She was a party girl, who lived life in the fast lane and came along at just the right time to catch Ali, a country boy coming out of Louisville. We warned Ali about her. She was very attractive, very popular in the nightclubs. Certain types of women would go in there at night, sit at the bar to be noticed, and people would seek them out. Sonji knew how to get the most out of being a beautiful woman in Chicago."

The quotes come from "Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times" by Thomas Hauser, p. 107.
Change log

Mar 15, 2013 06:43: Charles Davis Created KOG entry

Discussion

airmailrpl Mar 1, 2013:
“two-bit slick” In Newark, NJ, you are not intelligent, you are “slick.” And your path is not directed to move you upward and onward. Your sole motivation is to do whatever you have to do to get “over.” As with all things in life there is a right way to be slick and a wrong way to be slick. Do it the right way and nobody ever sees you coming and before they can check their wallet or their girlfriend, your ass is up and skillfully gone. Do it the wrong way and you’re made as being “two-bit slick” and your friends are few and your prospects are slim.
http://www.madisonavenew.wordpress.com/tag/crime/

Senators, Slick Lawyers and the Circus - HighBeam Research
www.highbeam.com › ... ›
The lie detector is a vicious, worthless piece of equipment used by "two-bit slick lawyers" trying to clear their pathological clients of a …

Responses

+5
2 hrs
Selected

wily or conniving in a cheap and petty way

She evidently was sexually attractive, but "slick" means that she was clever at getting what she wanted. It means someone who is astute and persuasive but probably not honest:

"a slick person is clever and good at persuading people but probably not honest or sincere
a slick car salesman"
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/slick

The basic idea of slick is "shiny", but lacking in depth: attractive only on the surface. But it also has this meaning of shrewd, plausible but dishonest.

"Two cents" is being used as a variant of "two-bit", meaning cheap, willing to stoop to any dishonest behaviour to get what you want. Two bits is literally two-eighths of a dollar, ie. a quarter, but it's an old expression for cheap, petty, contemptible:

"two-bit
Informal Costing or worth 25 cents: a two-bit cigar.
Slang Worth very little; petty or insignificant: a two-bit thief."
American Heritage Dictionary
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/two-bi...

""Two bits" or "two bit" continues in general use as a colloquial expression, primarily because of the song catchphrase "Shave and a Haircut, two bits." As an adjective, "two-bit" can be used to describe something cheap or unworthy."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_(money)#United_States

It's very often applied to shyster lawyers, and a "two-bit slick" lawyer is one who will stoop to any kind of cunning trick. The speaker may also have had in mind the expression "a two-bit whore", a very low-grade prostitute.

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Note added at 1 day17 hrs (2013-03-02 23:35:38 GMT)
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The interesting reference posted by airmailrpl suggests another angle which had escaped me: "two-bit" may also carries the implication that her slickness was limited; she was clever enough to catch the country boy Ali, but no genius: cheap or insignificant, in the sense of not really being very competent.
Peer comment(s):

agree P.L.F. Persio : well, I've definitely learned something today; thank you, Charles!
37 mins
Thank you, missdutch!
agree Yvonne Gallagher : yes, and it's great to see Asker give decent context for a change
47 mins
Yes, it certainly is! Thanks, gallagy :)
agree Veronika McLaren : excellent explanation
4 hrs
Thanks very much, Veronika :)
agree Sheila Wilson
1 day 9 hrs
Thanks, Sheila!
agree Phong Le
9 days
Thank you, Phong Le :)
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
10 mins

Pretty but cheap

«Two cents», as you probably know, meaning «a mean amount», as in «my two cents» (an unsolicited opinion).
Peer comment(s):

neutral Yvonne Gallagher : you haven't taken the "slick" into account at all
3 hrs
neutral Sheila Wilson : the context says she was pretty, but it doesn't say that in this term
1 day 11 hrs
Something went wrong...
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