I think that a 'cross' is a type of punch in boxing - similar to the 'hook' mentioned previously. 'and crossed it' means 'and then hit me with a cross'. 'Bells rang' means that he heard bells in his head - that is a symptom of a mild head injury! 'but not for dinner' - historically rich people with servants would have bells that rang to signify that it was dinner time. I guess that this is just a joking reference. I have never heard of 'clam juice' - I guess it is an American thing. I just looked it up, and it looks like it is just the water that comes from a clam when it is opened. A clam is a type of shellfish.