“You’re a born croaker. Mike’s rugged and intelligent. He’’ll learn.”

-The Iron Man

Where, in his historic fiction and fantasy Howard reached into archaic modern English and Middle English, the reader of his contemporary sports and horror fiction is treated to a glimpse of 1920s American English jargon.

n.

1.

a. A croaking animal, especially a frog.

b. A person who grumbles or habitually predicts evil.