A few things

[ookami]

Thanks in advance.

- Slim burned in the heat, walking slowly, mopping his brow.
"Burned in the heat" is commonly used? what would mean "mopping his brow"(I know what it means literally)?

- Most of the men groaned or swore, but one slapped his side in glee: "..."
I can't imagine what is he slapping.

- "Lil ain't no harm,"
I understand the usage of ain't, but I don't know if it's quite common today. I would like to know where it is used and by which people.
1. Contraction of am not.
2. Used also as a contraction for are not, is not, has not, and have not.

- "Sure I can drive him," said Joe. "He just got the bit in his teeth."
To be uncontrollable; cast off restraint, says the dictionary. Do you know any similar expression in Spanish?

- "See you, sport." // "What's up, sport?"
It's like "friend" "companion" or "dude"? Is it common? Among which people?

[wafflestomp]

Thanks in advance.

- Slim burned in the heat, walking slowly, mopping his brow.
"Burned in the heat" is commonly used? what would mean "mopping his brow"(I know what it means literally)?

- Most of the men groaned or swore, but one slapped his side in glee: "..."
I can't imagine what is he slapping.

- "Lil ain't no harm,"
I understand the usage of ain't, but I don't know if it's quite common today. I would like to know where it is used and by which people.
1. Contraction of am not.
2. Used also as a contraction for are not, is not, has not, and have not.

- "Sure I can drive him," said Joe. "He just got the bit in his teeth."
To be uncontrollable; cast off restraint, says the dictionary. Do you know any similar expression in Spanish?

- "See you, sport." // "What's up, sport?"
It's like "friend" "companion" or "dude"? Is it common? Among which people?

I'd say mopping his brow means like wiping sweat off, like he did something very intense and he just wiped the sweat off his head.

As for slapped his side with glee, I would say that means just that he was very happy. It's an expression from what I know.

Ain't is really said more in the Southern United States to my knowledge. It's rarely said up here in the North or even in the West. It's a dying word and one who says it is considered to be very uneducated.

Not sure of this one.. can't think of a Spanish idiom for that.

"Sport" doesn't really mean a friend or companion. It's more like a father to a son, uncle to a nephew, grandfather to a grandson, type of word. It's not said that much anymore, it's a dying word. A grandfather might say "Come on, Sport, we have to get you back to your parents house" or father to a son, "wake up sport, time for school"

You won't ever hear it said by a woman to a young boy or young girl. It's one of the unwritten few gender specific English words I know of :D

[pjt33]

"To mop one's brow" es quitarse el sudor de la frente. Podría ser con la manga, con un pañuelo, incluso con la mano.

"Slapped his side": "el costado" es lo que me dice el diccionario, pero no sé: entre la cadera y los costados.

"Ain't" se usa hoy en registros informales de inglés británico. No sé si también en otros dialectos.

"Sport": para mí, el uso vocativo de "sport" es un tópico de los australianos.

[hermit]

"Burned in the heat" readily understood, descriptive; sweating, and so,
"mopping his brow" (wiping his forehead).

Slapping one's side in laughter - A slap is "una palmada" - side is "costado"...like when laughing hard and slapping your ribs...

"Ain't" supposedly ain't in the dictionary, but sure hear it a lot in all
English-speaking countries.

"Hey, Sport" - Friendly greeting, mildly challenging...

[ookami]

Thanks wafflestomp and pjt33! It's more clear now.

"Sport": para mí, el uso vocativo de "sport" es un tópico de los australianos.
Hmm, but the author is from USA (William Gardner Smith) and the novel happens(?) in the south of USA, in a "Negro community".

EDIT: thanks hermit :D

[wafflestomp]

Yeah sport is used a lot in America.. come to think of it it's mostly said by Grandparents and other old people :D

[Rusty]

I hear the word "ain't" several times a day. It's mostly used by people that are less educated, or that grew up in such an enviroment. And that usually isn't the only poor grammar they use. :(

[hermit]

William Gardner Smith writes Afro-American novels so you'll get plenty of southern U.S. dialect...