"Today crowds gather around the Flatiron Building to admire its architecture and place in New York history, but back in the early part of the 20th century, men gathered there for a vastly different reason. As many New Yorkers know, the Flatiron sits at the intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue, directly across from Madison Park; the layout of the streets and the park, combined with the building’s placement, can create gusts of wind strong enough to lift women’s skirts. Back in an era when showing any part of one’s legs was risqué, men would gather on 23rd Street hoping to catch a glimpse of a woman’s ankle or maybe even a little more. … While it isn’t used heavily today, some say the phrase “23 skidoo” came from this phenomenon. Popular in the early part of the 20th century, getting the “23 skidoo” refers to either leaving an area quickly or being forced to leave. Apparently, the effect of the wind at this intersection was well known and crowds of men would gather in hopes of seeing some skin."
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Original Language: English
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Anne DiFabio, in "23 Skidoo" in MCNY Blog: New York Stories (6 September 2011)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/23
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23
23 (twenty-three) is the natural number following 22 and preceding 24; Year 23 (XXIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pollio and Vetus (or, less frequently, year 776 Ab urbe conduit). This page is for quotes related to either the year or the number.
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