The Catcher in the Rye: Dialect 1 key example

Selma is the headmaster of Pencey’s daughter, but Holden suggests that she doesn’t give “a lot of horse manure” about what her father is really like. By this, he means that Selma doesn’t make excuses for her father or seem disillusioned about his character. Holden calls Selma's father a "phony slob" here, using "phony" to indicate deep insincerity and pretentiousness, as he does elsewhere. The author also uses the word “slob” here in a period-specific way. In the 1950s, “slob” didn’t just indicate physical untidiness, but a kind of moral laxity. Salinger is saying Holden likes Selma because she’s genuine and straightforward, rather than pretentious or “phony” like her father.

Holden also often calls people "old," saying things like "old Spencer" or "old Phoebe." This idiosyncratic habit conveys affection mixed with a sort of world-weary distance. For instance, when he talks about his history teacher, Mr. Spencer, as "old Spencer," he’s expressing a degree of fondness and respect for the man. However, he’s also indicating that he feels a sort of subtle, dismissive detachment. He has other slang words to refer to things he actively dislikes, like “crumby,” a Holdenism for “terrible” or “sloppy.” A lot of Holden’s use of slang is aligned with the sense of dissatisfaction he feels with the adult world, which is why he regularly calls people “phonies.” It’s almost as though there is a language barrier between him and the people he dislikes, which also points to his sense of isolation and loneliness. He’s trying to express himself authentically, but he feels isolated from the people who would understand (his teenage peers) and the adults who mostly cannot.