L.A. Speak : Antique Argot

as found adj . not intact.

Be Backs n. “There they are again, Will Be Back and his wife May.”

crazed adj. having cracks in the glaze, but not in the clay body of a piece of pottery or porcelain. “That Stangl wig stand is just too crazed for me.”

flea bite n . a nick.

go-with n . an item that isn’t part of a particular line but still looks right with it.

have on v . the price, implies that you expect to negotiate. “How much do you have on that flea-bitten Staffordshire dog?”

marriage n . a piece put together from two or more different objects, such as a tabletop and base.

nick n . a flea bite

skip n. a gap in the glaze that allows the clay body to show through.

smalls n . jewelry, fountain pens, porcelain.

widow n. a cup without a saucer or a saucer without a cup.-- Bill Stern