a hipster hangout at Fifty-first and Seventh where the addicted comic held court in a rear booth?
In midtown, a favourite place to score was Hansen's Drugstore, a hipster hangout at Fifty-first and Seventh where the addicted comic Lenny Bruce held court in rear booth.

I can't understand the meaning of "at Fifty-first and Seventh". And does "held court in rear booth" mean arrested in toilet?

Question

a hipster hangout at Fifty-first and Seventh where the addicted comic held court in a rear booth?
In midtown, a favourite place to score was Hansen's Drugstore, a hipster hangout at Fifty-first and Seventh where the addicted comic Lenny Bruce held court in rear booth.

I can't understand the meaning of "at Fifty-first and Seventh". And does "held court in rear booth" mean arrested in toilet?

Answer

The drugstore was located at the intersection of two roads, 51st Street and 7th Avenue. To hold court is to be surrounded by fans or admirers who pay attention to everything you say or do. It originally referred to royalty.

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/hold+court

Answer

Not at all. This is the way we reference streets in New York City: (corner of) 51st Street and 7th Avenue.

A booth is a restaurant table with bench seating instead of chairs. So, a rear booth refers to a table in the back of the drugstore.

Holding court usually just means entertaining people or hosting people. So basically, he entertained people or ate with them at that booth.

I'm not seeing where being arrested would come into play, but the context of the sentence is missing, so I can't answer that part.

Answers · 4

Still haven’t found your answers?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!