Joyland

And anyway, most of the terms here really are carnival lingo, an argot both rich and humorous. The Ferris wheel was known as the chump-hoister or the simp-hoister; kiddie rides were known as zamp rides; leaving town in a hurry was indeed called burning the lot. These are just a few examples. I am indebted to The Dictionary of Carny, Circus, Sideshow & Vaudeville Lingo, by Wayne N. Keyser. It's posted on the internet. You can go there and check out a thousand other terms. Maybe more. You can also order his book, On the Midway.

Charles Ardai edited this book. Thanks, man.

Stephen King