a red lipper

[Stevino1]

This is from Manhattan transfer.

I don't' know what lipper mean, I think it could be foam: as the barkeep takes the money, the foam from a bottle of bear falls on the bills. This is my best guess.

Hey there yous how about settlin?’” bawled the barkeep after him when he reached the door.
“Didnt the other feller pay?” “Like hell he did.” “But he was t-t-treating me... . The barkeep laughed as he covered the money with a red lipper. “I guess that bloat believes in savin.”

 

[Wordy McWordface]

My best guess is that it's a cloth that the barman uses to wipe the surface of the bar. Why would he cover the bills with foam? And why would the foam be red? Surely it would make more sense for him to protect the banknotes and try to keep them dry?

A quick dictionary check tells me that "lipper" is a piece of blubber uses to swab the decks of whaling ships. Extending the meaning to a cloth for wiping bars doesn't seem unreasonable.

 

[Stevino1]

My best guess is that it's a cloth that the barman uses to wipe the surface of the bar. Why would he cover the bills with foam? And why would the foam be red? Surely it would make more sense for him to protect the banknotes and try to keep them dry?

A quick dictionary check tells me that "lipper" is a piece of blubber uses to swab the decks of whaling ships. Extending the meaning to a cloth for wiping bars doesn't seem unreasonable.

The same barkeep has a rag in his hand so you must be right. Thanks

 

[Loob]

Here's a previous thread about the same word in the same Dos Passos context: lipper.

The conclusion there was that "lipper" was probably a misprint for "flipper".

 

[velisarius]

So would the "red flipper" be his hand?

 

[Loob]

Yes, that was the suggestion in the other thread.

 

[Stevino1]

It is probably the hand because earlier in the book he says that that the barkeep has red hands:

“Or a baby girl, Mr. Zucher.” The barkeep wiped the spillings off the table when he brought the new bottles, and stood near listening, the rag dangling from his red hands.