The word “hoosegow” was a popular slang term in the 1920s and 30s meaning “jail.” But why anybody thought a jail-themed café would make a fun night out is a mystery to me. But the owner of the Hoosegow Café at 7732 Washington Boulevard in Culver City (putting it roughly a mile west of MGM) apparently thought that serving chicken and steak dinners in a jail setting was a great idea. Nor was he the only one. This photo was taken circa late 1920s and at around this time there was also a “Jail Café” at 4212 Sunset Boulevard. Given that this was during Prohibition, perhaps this mini-trend meant that Angelenos treated the idea of jail time as a bit of a joke.
Per the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
In Spanish, juzgado means “panel of judges, courtroom.” When English speakers of the American West borrowed juzgado in the early 1900s, they recorded it the way they heard it: hoosegow. They also associated the word specifically with the jail that was usually in the same building as a courthouse. Today, hoosegow has become slang for any place of confinement for lawbreakers.
The word “hoosegow” was a popular slang term in the 1920s and 30s meaning “jail.” But why anybody thought a jail-themed café would make a fun night out is a mystery to me. But the owner of the Hoosegow Café at 7732 Washington Boulevard in Culver City (putting it roughly a mile west of MGM) apparently thought that serving chicken and steak dinners in a jail setting was a great idea. Nor was he the only one. This photo was taken circa late 1920s and at around this time there was also a “Jail Café” at 4212 Sunset Boulevard. Given that this was during Prohibition, perhaps this mini-trend meant that Angelenos treated the idea of jail time as a bit of a joke.
Per the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
In Spanish, juzgado means “panel of judges, courtroom.” When English speakers of the American West borrowed juzgado in the early 1900s, they recorded it the way they heard it: hoosegow. They also associated the word specifically with the jail that was usually in the same building as a courthouse. Today, hoosegow has become slang for any place of confinement for lawbreakers.
Thanks, Gail. I figured that a weird word like “hoosegow” probably had an interesting backstory!