(especially during the Great Depression) a party with music and dancing, given to raise money for the host's rent by collecting a contribution from each guest.
A party where one's friends and neighbors buy drinks, food, etc, and help one pay the rent; percolator, shake(1925+ Black)
The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D. Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers. Cite This Source
