TT: Definin’ the blues

I recently read a wonderful new book called Barrelhouse Words: A Blues Dialect Dictionary whose author, Stephen Calt, seeks to provide accurate definitions of all the unusual words and phrases that can be heard in the great blues 78s of the Twenties, Thirties, and Forties. I found it so fascinating that I decided it would serve very nicely as the subject of my post-Christmas “Sightings” column for The Wall Street Journal. If you’ve always wondered what a “monkey woman” is, then pick up a copy of Saturday’s paper. My column–and Calt’s book–will set you straight.
UPDATE: Read the whole thing here.