Twenty-Three Skidoo

Here's another gem from the Inside the Apple archives. This postcard was made in 1908 and shows two birds ("Bird's eye view"--get it?) outside the Flatiron building at Fifth Avenue and Twenty-third Street. Because of the Flatiron's unique shape and its location along a broad crosstown thoroughfare, strong winds swirl near its base. When the building first opened, men used to flock to Madison Square to watch women walking by in the hope that the air currents would sweep up their skirts and reveal a glimpse of stocking.

This is exactly what is depicted in the postcard above: the gentleman in the background is giving a knowing wink as the lady's skirt and petticoats blow up, revealing her ankles. How risque!

In real life, there were a number of police officers posted to the Flatiron to encourage ogling men to move along. One common phrase they employed was "twenty-three skidoo!" Skidoo is a relative of skedaddle and means "to move along" or "go away." The number 23 was long thought to be a reference to the Twenty-Third Street; thus "23 skidoo" meant "stop hanging out on Twenty-Third Street."

However, it turns out that "23" was already a slang term for "get lost" before there was a Flatiron building, cited at least as early as 1899. What seems plausible is that the police wanted to get rid of men in front of the Flatiron, so combined two already existing phrases that each meant scram--"twenty-three" and "skidoo"--into a phrase that had a double meaning. Soon, "23 skidoo" was one of the most popular phrases in America--it is still sometimes employed today, over a century later.

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Read about the building of the Flatiron in Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City

(Which, by the way, makes an excellent holiday gift -- read all about where to purchase it here.)

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Flatiron District Walking Tour and Book Signing

As part of the celebration of the release of Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City*, please join us on Sunday, March 29, 2009, at 4:00PM, for a Walking Tour of the Flatiron District followed by a book signing at Idlewild Books.

The cost of the event is $25 per person, and this includes the tour, a copy of Inside the Apple, and a reception following the event.

We will examine the history and mythology of such well-known landmarks as the Flatiron Building and the Empire State Building. Was the Flatiron New York's first skyscraper? Did they really try to moor dirigibles to the Empire State Building? We will also look at lesser known figures, like politico Roscoe Conkling and General William Jenkins Worth, sharing stories unknown to many native New Yorkers.

We will end the tour at Idlewild Books, an independent travel bookstore on West 19th Street for a signing and reception.

Advance reservations and payment are required.

To reserve, please visit Idlewild Books in person at 12 West 19th Street (near Fifth Avenue), call 212-414-8888, or email events@idlewildbooks.com.

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* The book has also received a couple of early reviews—a great write-up in last Sunday’s New York Post, which calls the book a “tour de force”—and praise from Publishers Weekly.

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