Moss-covered three-handled family credenza

[Jason Yan]

Slang term for hepatitis. The number of handles indicates the placement of the letter in the alphabet, one-handled for hep A, two-handled for hep B and three-handled for [hep C]. Term can be traced back to 1910s Detroit. Gained popularity within the Roaring Twenties jazz scene, then again among GIs in the second world war. A third surge in popularity during the sex-positive Vietnam years lead to its controversial usage in Depatie-Frelengs 1972 adaptation of Dr [Seusss] literary classic, [The Cat in The Hat]. A similar, more blunt reference to hepatitis made its appearance in the Mike Meyers film based on the story 30 years later, likely channeling the animated adaptation.