Black Sunshine Media – Where Dark Meets Light
When my father tired of a place, he would occasionally dust off his seldom-used South Philly accent, lean over to me, and quietly say, “Let’s throw this place a fish”.
It’s a combination of words I’ve heard only one other human being place in that particular order– a woman named Catherine who grew bored of hanging around a bowling alley simply to humor her co-workers. She looked surprised that I knew what she meant without her having to explain. She told me I didn’t sound like I was from her part of Philadelphia. I said “No, but my father is” and she seemed pleased that we understood each other.
It’s a phrase so arcane that even Google doesn’t seem to have heard of it and no one in my family could be absolutely certain of its origin or accurate meaning. Dad and I settled on the idea that it came from tossing fish to performing seals when they’d finished a trick onstage, but neither of us were ever completely convinced it was the best explanation. Whatever it’s origin, “Let’s throw this place a fish” means “Let’s get the hell out of here”, plain and simple.
Black Sunshine Media – Where Dark Meets Light