In the 1975 musical Chicago, the song Razzle Dazzle has the following lines:
Throw 'em a fake and a finagle
They'll never know you're just a bagel
What does it mean to be "just a bagel" in this case? In context, it seems like something negative and/or insignificant. However, I can't find any other instances of "bagel" being used this way.
I've searched google for "just a bagel" in quotes, but most are references to the food. There are also a few references to "bagel" as slang, such as this site or the tennis term, but none of them seem to fit the context of the musical itself.
An ideal answer would have some basis in American English during the 1920's, which is the era in which the play is set, or during the 1970's, which is when the play was written. Of course, I'd be willing to accept any valid answer too.
Best Answer
The word "doughnut" is occasionally used to mean "zero"; see this article for an example.
Obviously, this meaning originated in the similarity of shape.
A bagel, like a doughnut, has a hole in it, so I expect the songwriters intended the meaning to be the same. I also expect they thought this meaning would be clearer than it actually seems to be.