Glossary of early twentieth century slang
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Melodrama films captivate the audience by weaving narratives that evoke intense emotions. These films primarily focus on family dynamics, centering around characters who face adversity and exploring themes of duty and love. The melodramatic format portrays characters navigating their challenges with unwavering determination, selfless acts, and bravery. Movie critics and theater owners often use the certain expressions to describe the movies they are reviewing or showing.[1][2][3]
In crafting an article for a particular silent film WP:MOSFILM recommends a section titled Critical reception. That section consists of movie critiques by professional critics and direct quotes from audience members.
This listing is a general glossary of slang terms commonly used by silent movie critics, theater owners, and film fans to describe the melodramatic films they are reviewing or screening. This glossary offers a fast reference to the slang used in these movie reviews.
This glossary currently contains 973 terms and 1242 definitions (as of August 18, 2024)
0-9
[edit]- 86
- 1. Soda-counter term meaning an item was no longer available[4]
- 2. "Eighty-six" means to discard, eliminate, or deny service[4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/1920_-_S._S._Kresge_Lunch_Counter.jpg/150px-1920_-_S._S._Kresge_Lunch_Counter.jpg)
A
[edit]- abe's cabe
- 1. Five dollar bill[5]
- 2. See fin, a fiver, half a sawbuck[5]
- absent treatment
- Engaging in dance with a cautious partner[6]
- ab-so-lute-ly
- Affirmative, Yes[6]
- ace
- One dollar bill; see clam[7]
- air tight
- Very attractive[6]
- airedale
- Unattractive man[6]
- alarm clock
- Chaperone[6]
- alderman
- Man's pot-belly or simply a prominent belly of a man[8]
- all wet
- 1. Erroneous idea or individual e.g. "He's all Wet"[7]
- alibi
- Box of flowers or candy[6]
- and how!
- I Strongly agree![6]
- ankle
- To walk, e.g. "Let's ankle!"[6]
- ankle excursion
- Walk i.e. walk home[6]
- apple-knocker
- 1. Farm laborer mostly a Fruit picker[9]
- 2. a country bumpkin or Hick[9]
- applesauce
- 1. Flattery[6]
- 2. Nonsense, e.g."Aw, Applesauce!"[7]
- armchair
- 1. Love nest[6]
- attaboy!
- 1. Well done! or Attagirl![11]
Example
A “cotton glaumer” picks cotton, an “apple knocker” picks apples and other fruit— 1923 book by Nels Anderson[10]
B
[edit]- babe
- 1. Attractive person usually a woman
- 2. Significant other
- baby
- 1. Something of high value or respect
- 2. Sweetheart
- baby grand
- Heavily built man[6]
- baby vamp
- A female student who is considered attractive or popular
- badger game
Extortion scheme in which the victim is tricked into a compromising position and then blackmailed
- balled up
- Confused, messed up
- bally nipper
- Tomboy[6]
- baloney
- Nonsense[6]
- banana oil
- 1. I doubt that!
- 2. nonsense
- 3. Insincere flattery
- bangtails
- Racehorses[12]
- bank's closed
- 1. No kissing or making out e.g. Sorry, Mac, the bank's closed![6]
- barber
- Talkative individual[12]
- barney
- Scanal walker
- barneymugging
- Love-making[6]
- barrel house
- Illegal distillery
- bathtub gin
- Homemade spirit, made in a bathtub
- bay window
- Humorous yet slightly unflattering term for a man's pot belly
- be on then nut
- To be broke
- bean-picker
- Person who tries to patch up trouble[6]
- bean-shooter
- Gun
- bearcat
- 1. Hot-blooded women
- 2. Vivacious woman
- 3. Fiery girl
- beat It
- Scram, get lost
- beat one's gums
- 1. Idle chatter e.g. someone "beats one's gums"or "Flap one's gums"[7]
- bee's knee's
- Equivalent names[a]
- 1. Extraordinary person
- 2. Splendid or stylish idea
- 3. Cocktail with gin, lemon and honey
- 4. Admirable
- beef
- Problem, e.g. "What's your beef?"
- beeswax
- Business, e.g. "none of your beeswax"
- beezer
- Nose; see also schnozzle smeller[12]
- behind the eight ball
- 1. In a difficult position
- 2. e.g. In a § Jam
- bell bottom
- Sailor[6]
- bell polisher
- Man who lingers in apartment vestibule late at night[6]
- belly laugh
- Loud laugh
- belt
- Drink of liquor
- bent
- 1. Label given to an individual when they are intoxicated
- 2. Name applied to one who is completely inebriated
- 3. When someone is drunk
- bent cars
- Stolen Automobiles
- bent outta of shape
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- bent hairpin
- Elderly maid[6]
- berries
- 1. Great or Money e.g. "It's the Berries"[6]
- bible belt
Area in the south and midwest where fundamentalism flourishes
- big cheese
- 1. Someone of importance and influence[6]
- 2. Big Boss
- 3. See § big shot
- big house
Prison
- big one
- Death
- big shot
- 1. Someone of importance and influence
- 2. Big Boss
- 3. § big cheese
- big six
- 1. From auto advertising, for the new and powerful six cylinder engines
- 2. Strong man
- big sleep
- Death[12]
- big timer
- Charming and romantic man[6]
- billboard
- Flashy man or woman[6]
- bim
- Woman[12]
- bimbo
Tough guy or strong man; ; see also hard-boiled Bruno[6]
- bindle
- The bundle in which a hobo carries all his worldly possessions
- bindle Punk Or Bindle Stiff
- 1. Chronic wanderers
- 2. Migratory harvest workers
- 3. Lumber jacks
- bing
- Jailhouse talk for solitary confinement
- bird
- Broad term for a man or woman, sometimes indicating "unusual," behavior e.g. "what a funny old bird”[6]
- biscuit
- Pettable flapper
- bit
- Prison sentence
- black hats
- Bad person, especally a villain or criminal in a movie, novel, or play
- blaah
- No good[6]
- blind
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- blind date
Going out with someone you do not know
- blind pig or blind tiger
- Illegal drinking establishment where patrons pay entrance fee to view an exotic animal and are given a complementary drink
- blip off
- Kill someone[12]
- blooey
- Condition when one has gone to pieces[6]
- blotto
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- blouse
- Leave from somewhere[6]
- blow
- 1. Crazy party[6]
- 2. Leave[6]
- 3. Big wad in nightclubs
- blow one down
- Kill someone
- blower
- Telephone
- blue serge
- Sweetheart[6]
- bluenose
- 1. Excessively puritanical person
- 2. Prude
- blushing violet
- 1. Publicity hound[6]
- bo
- 1. Man; see also buster mac pal[12]
- bobbed
- Women's haircut in which both the bangs and back are cut in a straight line, with the back generally off the neck e.g. hair was bobbed - see § Flapper
- bohunk
- Derogatory name for an Eastern European immigrant (out of use by 1930) except in certain anti-immigrant circles
- boiled as an owl
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- boiler
- Automobile[12]
- boob
- Dumb guy
- boob-tickler
- Girl who has to entertain her father's customers from out of town[6]
- bookkeeping
- The art of making a date[6]
- booklegger
- Dealer in suppressed novels[6]
- bootleg
- Illegal alcohol
- bootlegger
- Someone who makes or sells alcohol illegally
- booze
Alcohol
- boozehound
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- bop
- To kill
- box
- Safe or a bar
- box job
- Safecracking
- brace
- 1. Grab somebody
- 2. Shake up
- bracelets
- Handcuffs
- brash young woman
- 1. Woman with bold manners and a forward attitude
- 2. Associated with the flapper lifestyle
- break It Up
- Stop that, quit the nonsense
- breeze
- 1. Breeze Off
- 2. Get lost
- 3. Leave
- breezer
- Convertible car
- breezy
- 1. Someone is breezy e.g.they behave in a cheerful and confident
- 2. One movie reviewer refer to the hero of a film as a Breezy Westerner
- brillo
- Someone who lives fast and is a big spender[6]
- broad
Woman
- bronx cheer
- 1. Loud spluttering noise
- 2. Used to indicate disapproval
- 3. same as raspberry
- brown
- Whiskey
- brown plaid
- Scotch Whiskey
- bruno
- Tough guy, strong man, enforcer; see also bimbo hard-boiled[12]
- bubs
- Breasts
- bucket
- Automobile; see also cowpie crate heap jalopy[12]
- bug's ear
- 1. Always with the connotation of being small e.g.Your baby is cuter than a bug's ear[13]
- 2. Attractive, Charming and cute
- bug-eyed betty
- Unattractive girl, student
- bulge, the
- Advantage
- bull
- 1. Policeman or law-enforcement official, including FBI
- 2. Nonsense
- 3. Chat idly, to exaggerate
- bull session
- Male talkfest, gossip, stories of sexual exploits
- bulls
- 1. Plainclothes railroad cops
- 2. Uniformed police
- 3. Prison guards
- bum's rush
- Thrown out of an establishment[7]
- bump
- Kill
- bump gums
- Talk about nothing worthwhile
- bump off
- Murder, to kill
- bunk
- Nonsense[6]
- bunny
- Term of endearment applied to the lost, confused, etc often coupled with "poor little"[12]
- burn powder
- Fire a gun
- bus
- Any old or worn out car
- bust
- Boxer[6]
- brush-ape
- 1. Anyone from the sticks
- 2. hayshaker
- bushwa
- Euphemism for "bulls#*%"
- buster
- 1. Man; see also bo mac pal[14]
- busthead
- Homemade Liquor
- butt me
Give me a cigarette[6]
- butter and egg man
- 1. Man with the bankroll or money[12]
- 2. Yokel who comes to town
- Face, nose, end of jaw
- Professional killer
- Police
- Dancing very close to each other[6]
- butt(s)
Cigarettes
- buzz
- 1. Looks person up
- 2. Comes to persons door
- buzzer
- Policeman's badge
C
[edit]- c note
- $100 e.g. pair of c's = $200
- cabbage
- Money
- caboose
- Jail
- cake basket
- Limousine[6]
- cake eater
- 1. The individual is dressed in tight-fitting attire, including a belted coat with pointed lapels, one-button pants, a low snug collar, and a greenish-pink shirt with a jazzbo tie.
- 2. Spoiled rich person
- 3. Harmless Lounge Lizard
- 4. Lady's man
- call copper
- Inform the police
- can
- Jail, car
- can house
- Bordello
- canned
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- canary
- Woman singer
- canceled stamp
- Shy girl at a dance or party[6]
- can-opener
- Safecracker who opens cheap safes
- caper
- Criminal act or robbery
- carry a torch
- 1. To have a crush on someone
- 2. Suffering from unrequited love
- case dough
- Nest egg
- cash
- Kiss[16]
- cash or check
- Do we kiss now or later?
- cast a kitten
- 1. Used in both humorous and serious situations e.g. stop tickling me or i'll cast a kitten!
- 2. Have kittens
- 3. Have a fit
- cat
- Man
- cat's meow
- Equivalent names[a]
- see § bee's knee's
- cat's pajamas
- Equivalent names[a]
- see § bee's knee's
- cellar smeller
- Man with a perchant for showing up where liquor is being served[16]
- celestial
- Derogatory term for Chinese or East Asians
- century
- One hundred dollars i.e. $100
- charlie
- Man with a mustache[16]
- chassis
- Female body
- cheaters
- Eyeglasses[7]
- check
- Kiss me later[16]
- check your hat
- Call me later[16]
- cheese It
- Put things away, hide
- cherry smashes
- Weak kisses[16]
- chewing gum
- Double-speak, or ambiguous talk.
- chicago lightning
- Gunfire
- chicago overcoat
- Coffin
- chicago typewriter
- Thompson submachine gun
- chick
- Woman
- chilled off
- Killed
- chin
- 1. Conversation
- 2. Chinning
- 3. Talking
- chin music
- 1. Punch on the jaw[16]
- 2. Gossip
- chinese squeeze
- Grafting by skimming profits off the top
- chippy
- Woman of easy virtue
- chisel
- Swindle or cheat
- chiv
- 1. knife
- 2. stabbing or cutting weapon
- choice bit of calico
- Attractive female, student
- chopper
- 1. Nickname because of the damage its heavy .45 caliber rounds did to the human body § chicago typewriter
- chopper squad
- Men armed with Thompson submachine guns
- chump
- Person marked for a con or a gullible person
- chunk of lead
- Unattractive female, student
- ciggy
- Cigarette
- clam
- Money i.e. One Dollar bills; see ace[7]
- clammed
- Close-mouthed (clammed up)
- clean sneak
- Escape with no clues left behind
- clip joint
- Nightclub where the prices are high and the patrons are fleeced
- clipped
- Shot
- close your head
- Shut up
- clothesline
- Person who tells neighborhood stories[16]
- clout
- Shoplifter
- clubhouse
- Police station
- cocaine fiend
- 1916, the term "Cocaine Fiend" was fashionable. The term was used in trade journal of the period. However using "Cocaine addict" as a replacement phase seems a little less harsh to readers
- coffin varnish
- Bootleg liquor, often poisonous
- come to time
- 1. Expression used in prizefighting
- 2. Step up to continue the contest once the rest period is over and time is called
- 3. Meet expectations
- con
- Confidence game, swindle
- con artist
- Person who cheats or tricks others by persuading them to believe something that is not true
- con game
- Scam in which the victim is persuaded to trust the swindler in some way
- conk
- Head
- cool
- Knock out
- cooler
- Jail
- cop
- Detective, even a private one
- copacetic
- Wonderful, fine, all right e.g."everything is copacetic"[7]
- copped
- To be arrested by the cops
- copper
- Policeman
- corn
- 1. Bourbon
- 2. Corn liquor
- corn shredder
- 1. Bad dancer i.e. young man who dances on lady's feet[16]
- corked
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- corridor vamp
- Someone who ogles the opposite sex[16]
- cowpie
- Automobile; see also bucket crate heap jalopy[16]
- cowpie warmup
- Car ride[16]
- crab
- Figure out
- crabhanger
- Reformer
- crack wise
- Make a sarcastic, flippant, or sardonic comment
- crape hanger
- Zealous reformer[16]
- crasher
- Person who attends a party uninvited[16]
- crate
- Automobile; see also bucket cowpie heap jalopy
- croak
- Kill
- croaker
- Doctor
- crush
- 1. Have romantic interest in someone
- 2. Infatuation
- crushed Out
- Escaped i.e. from jail
- cuddle-cootie
- Young man who takes a girl for a ride[16]
- cuddler
- One who likes to make out[16]
- cut down
- Killed
- cutting yourself a piece of cake
- Making yourself wait patiently
Example
It calls for a picked clientele of fans who are able to visualize and distinguish mortal from immortal as portrayed in the flesh. It will not appeal to the Flapper, the Lounge Lizard and Cake Eater, nor to the less intelligent.— 1923 Exhibitors Trade Review Movie Review[15]
Example
The Rent Collector (Vitagraph), with Larry Semon — A scream, a whirlwind, a cyclone of fun. For action and real fun his comedies are the snake's hips and the cat's meow.— 1923 Exhibitors Herald Patron's Movie Review[17]
Example
Browne finds a dead woman, whose jewels are missing. Foumier discovers that Browne is a cocaine fiend, and . . .— 1916 Moving Picture World Review of No. 16 Martin Street[18]
Example
They Like 'Em Rough,' with Viola Dana. – Comedy-drama in which a husband uses cave man tactics to make his flapper wife come to time— 1922 Exhibitors Herald Movie Review[19]
D
[edit]- daddy
- Young woman's wealthy boyfriend or lover (sugar daddy)
- daddy-o
- Term of address
- daisy
- None too masculine
- dame
- Female. did not gain widespread use until the 1930's
- dance
- To be hanged
- dangle
- Leave, get lost
- dapper
- 1. Neatly dressed
- 2. Flapper's dad[16]
- 3. Elegant
- darb
- 1. Person with money who pays the check
- 2. Excellent person i.e. The Darb
- 3. Gink with a roll of coin
- daylight
- Put a hole in, by shooting or stabbing e.g. Fill Him With Daylight
- dead soldier
- Empty beer bottle
- deb
- Debutant
- deck
- 1. Refers to a single-dose packet, bag, or glassine envelope of cocaine e.g. deck of cocaine
- 2. Pack of cigarettes e.g. Deck of Luckies
- declaration Of Independence
- Divorce[16]
- derrick
- Shoplifter
- dewdropper
- Young man who sleeps all day and doesn't have a job[16]
- dib
- Share of the proceeds
- dick
- Private investigator coined around 1900, the term finds major recognition in the 20's
- dimbox
- 1. Taxicab[16]
- 2. Hack
- dimbox Jaunt
- Taxi ride[16]
- dincher
- Half smoked cigarette[16]
- dingledangler
- Person who persists in telephoning
- dingus
- Thing
- dip
- Pickpocket
- dip the bill
- Have a drink
- ditzek
- Anything funny[16]
- dish
- Pretty woman
- dive
- Disreputable or low quality bar
- dive ducat
- Subway ticket[16]
- dizzy with a dame
- To be deeply in love with a woman
- do the dance
- To be hanged
- dog kennels
- Pair of shoes
- dogs
- Feet[16]
- dog jock
- Man who walks his wife's dogs[16]
- doll
- Attractive woman
- dolled Up
- Dressed up[16]
- don't know from nothing
- Doesn't have any information
- don't take any wooden dimes
- Don't do anything stupid
- don't know from nothing
- Doesn't have any information
- don't take any wooden nickels
- Don't do anything stupid
- dope
- Drugs, i.e. cocaine or opium
- dope fiend
- Drug addict
- dope peddler
- Drug dealer
- doublecross
- Cheat, stab in the back
- dough
- Money
- drag a sock
- Walk or dance[21]
- drift
- Go i.e. leave
- drill
- Shoot
- drop a dime
- 1. Make a phone call to the police to inform on someone
- 2. Make a phone call
- droppers
- Hired killers
- dropping the pilot
- Getting a divorce[21]
- drugstore cowboy
- Well-dressed man who loiters in public areas trying to pick up women[21]
- drum
- Speakeasy
- dry
- Place where alcohol is not served or person opposed to the legal sale of alcohol
- dry Up
- Shut up, get lost
- dry-gulch
- 1. Hit on head after ambushing
- 2. Knock out
- duck soup
- Easy
- ducky
- Very good[21]
- dud
- Wall flower or dress up[21]
- dud up
- Dress up
- dumb dora
- 1. Absolute idiot
- 2. Dumbbell, especially a woman
- 3. Flapper
- dummerer
- Someone who pretends to be deaf and/or dumb to appear a more deserving beggar
- dumkuff
- Nutty[21]
- dump
- 1. Roadhouse, club
- 2. More generally, any place
- dust out
- Leave, depart
Example
. . .Audrey to get her some coke. Audrey calls Max, the piano player, and he gives her a deck, which Cleo pretends to take— 1916 Moving Picture Weekly Review of No. 16 Martin Street[20]
E
[edit]- ear muffs
- Radio receivers
- earful
- Enough[21]
- edge
- Intoxication, a buzz e.g. I've got an edge
- edisoned
- Questioned[21]
- egg
- 1. Person who lives the big life[21]
- 2. Man
- egg harbor
- Fall dance[21]
- electric cure
- Electrocution
- elephant ears
- Police
- embalmed
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- embalmer
- Bootlegger[21]
- ethel
- Effeminate man
- eye opener
- Marriage[21]
F
[edit]- face stretcher
- Older woman trying to look younger[21]
- fade
- Go away, get lost
- fag
- 1. Some time around 1920, the term meant a homosexual
- 2. Cigarette
- fakeloo artist
- Con man
- fall guy
- Victim of a frame
- father time
- Any man over 30[21]
- fat roll
- Amount of money that is very large
- feathers
- Small talk[21]
- feet
- Clumsy dancer[21]
- fella
- 1. Man, Guy, Fellow e.g. That john sure is a swell fella ; see also bo buster mac pal[22]
- few drinks, a
- Common euphemism for indulging In alcohol, especially in the context of speakeasies and secret drinking sessions during prohibition
- fig leaf
- One piece bathing suit[21]
- filches
- 1. Steal - something, especially a thing of small value
- 2. Pilfer
- fin
- $5 bill and abe's cabe[5]
- finale hopper
- 1. Young man who arrives after all bills are paid
- 2. Always eager to make empty promises and never present when it matters
- 3. Spendthrift who arrives after the ticket-takers have departed
- finder
- Finger man
- finger, put the finger on
- Identify
- fire alarm
- Divorced woman[21]
- fire bell
- Married woman[21]
- fire extinguisher
- Chaperone at a dance or party[21]
- fish
- First timer in prison
- flaming youth
- Male counterpart to a Flapper
- flapper(s)
- 1. Young woman, especially when unconventional or without decorum or displaying daring freedom or boldness
- 2. Flappers are associated with the Jazz Age of the 1920s
- 3. Stylish, brash, hedonistic young woman with short skirts and her hair bobbed
- flatfoot
- Policeman
- flat shoe
- Dispute between flapper and her goof[21]
- flat tire
- 1. Dull insipid, disappointing date[21]
- 2. see Drag, Oilcan, Pickle, Pill, Rag
- flattie
- Flatfoot, cop
- flatwheeler
- Young man who takes a young lady to an egg harbor
- flimflam
- Swindle
- flippers
- Hands
- flivver
- 1. Ford model T
- 2. After 1928, could mean broken down car
- floater
- Person making trouble and then disappears[21]
- flogger
- Overcoat
- floorflusher
- Insatiable dancer[21]
- flop
- 1. Go to bed
- 2. Fallen through
- 3. Not worked out
- 4. Seat[21]
- flophouse
- 1. Cheap transient hotel, often with less-than-ideal living conditions
- 2. Hotel used by people down on their luck
- flour lover
- Girl with too much face powder[21]
- fluky
- 1. Funny
- 2. Odd[21]
- 3. Different
- fly boy
- Glamorous term for an aviator[7]
- fog
- Shoot
- foot juice
- Cheap wine
- for a row of
- Distance'[21]
- for crying out loud
- Another way of saying - are you for real?[21]
- forty-niner
- Man who is prospecting for a rich wife
- four flusher
- Person who feigns wealth while mooching off others[21]
- frail
- Woman
- frame
- 1. Give false evidence
- 2. Set up someone
- frau
- Wife
- fried
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- fried to the hat
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- frog's eyebrows
- 1. Nice
- 2. Fine
- fry
- To be electrocuted
- futz
- Euphemism for f*%k e.g. Don't futz around
- fuzz
- Police
Example
After his arrival, Dippy filches many of the guests of their valuables— 1922 Exhibitors Herald Movie Review[23]
Example
They Like 'Em Rough,' with Viola Dana – Comedy-drama in which a husband uses cave man tactics to make his flapper wife come to time— 1922 Exhibitors Herald Movie Review[19]
G
[edit]- gal
- Woman
- gams
- Woman's legs[21]
- gander
- Dress Up[21]
- gandy dancer
- Railway laborer, especially a member of a crew which carries rails and affixes them to ties
- gasper
- Cigarette
- gat
- 1. Pistol
- 2. Hand gun
- 3. see roscoe
- gatecrasher
- see crasher
- get-hot!
- Encouragement for a hot dancer[21]
- gay
- 1. Happy or lively
- 2. No connection to homosexuality in 1920
- get a wiggle On
- Get a move on, get going[7]
- get in a lather
- 1. Get worked up
- 2. Angry
- get sore
- Get mad
- getaway sticks
- Legs
- get-up
- Outfit
- giggle juice
- 1. Intoxicating
- 2. Alcohol
- giggle water
- 1. Intoxicating beverage
- 2. Alcohol
- gigolo
- Dancing partner
- gimp
- 1. Cripple i.e. One who walks with a limp
- 2. Gangster Dion O'Bannion was called gimpy due to his noticeable limp
- gimlet
- Chronic bore[21]
- gin mill
- 1. Seller of hard liquor
- 2. Cheap speakeasy
- give the air
- Break a date[21]
- give the knee
- Dance cheek-to-cheek and Toe-to-Toe[21]
- glad rags
- Going out on the town clothes
- glaum
- Steal
- glorious regalia
- Chic clothing of a flapper[21]
- go chase yourself
- 1. Get lost
- 2. Scram
- gold digger
- 1. Woman who associates or marries a man for his wealth[7]
- 2. Woman who engages in Transactional sex
- goods, The
- 1. The right material, or person who has it
- 2. The facts, the truth, e.g. make sure the cops don't get the goods on you
- goof
- 1. Bumbling person
- 2. Flapper's boyfriend[21]
- goofy
- 1. Crazy
- 2. Silly
- 3. In love[21]
- goog
- Black eye
- goon
- Thug
- gooseberry lay
- Stealing clothes from a clothesline
- gowed-up
- 1. On dope
- 2. High on dope
- grab a little Air
- 1. Put your hands up
- 2. grab some air
- grab a flop
- Sit down on a seat[21]
- graft
- Con jobs or cut of the take
- grand
- $1000
- green apples
- Homely woman[21]
- greenland
- A park[21]
- grift
- Confidence game or swindle
- grifter
- Con man
- grill(ed)
- Question or Questioned
- grindhouse(s)
- 1. It could be because early projectionists used a grinding or cranking motion
- 2. (US film) Low-budget film theater that shows primarily exploitation films
- grubber
- One who borrows cigarettes[21]
- grubstake
- Invitation to dinner
- grummy
- Depressed
- grungy
- Envious[25]
- gumshoe
- Detective
- gumshoeing
- Detective work
- gun for
- 1. Look for someone
- 2. Going after someone e.g. He was out gunning for Tom
- guns
- 1. Pickpockets
- 2. Hoodlums
- gussie
- 1. Shy person[25]
- guy
- Man
Example
Flyers made from San Francisco to Hawaii. It is just a hoak meller that will, for the better part, carry in some of the smaller grindhouses.— 1926 Variety Movie Review[24]
H
[edit]- hack
- Taxicab
- hair of the dog
- 1. Shot of booze, especially the day after going on a Toot
- 2. Taking shot of alcohol to help cure a hangover
- half
- 50 cents i.e. $.50
- half cut
- Happily intoxicated
- half seas over
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- half under
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- handcuff
- Engagement ring or wedding band[25]
- hard
- Tough; see also bimbo hard-boiled Bruno[12]
- hard-boiled
- Tough i.e. tough guy, e.g. "He sure is hard-boiled!" ; see also bimbo Bruno[25]
- harlem sunset
- Some sort fatal injury caused by knife
- harp
- Irishman
- hash house
- Cheap restaurant
- hatchet man
- Killers, gunmen
- heart-tugging
- One's deepest emotions or inner feelings, to tug at one's heartstrings
- heart-wrenching
- 1. One's deepest emotions or inner feelings
- 2. Tug at one's heartstrings
- have the bees
- To be rich
- hayburner
- 1. Gas guzzling car
- 2. Horse one loses money on
- head doctors
- Psychiatrists
- heap
- Automobile; see also bucket cowpie crate heap jalopy
- heat
- Police
- heater
- Gun
- heavy sugar
- Lots of money
- heebie-jeebies
- The shakes named after a hit song of 1926[25]
- heeled
- Carrying a gun
- heeler
- Poor dancer[25]
- hen coup
- Beauty parlor[25]
- hep
- Wise
- highbrow
- Intellectually stimulating, highly cultured, sophisticated, or a cultured or learned person
- high hat
- 1. Haughty, Snobbish, Unapproachable[25]
- highjohn
- 1. Boyfriend[25]
- high pillow
- 1. Person at the top
- 2. In charge
- highbinders
- Corrupt politician or functionary
- hike
- Walk[25]
- hikers
- Knickerbockers[25]
- hinky
- Suspicious
- hiphound
- One who drinks hootch
- hipster
- 1. Person who carried hip flask due prohibition
- 2. Law breaker drinker
- 3. Someone who follows the lastest styles
- hip to the jive
- 1. Cool or trendy
- 2. Suspicious
- his blue serge
- His girl
- histrionics
- 1. Exaggerated, overemotional behavior, especially when calculated to elicit a response
- 2. melodramatics
- hit on all sixes
- To perform 100 per cent e.g. "hitting on all six cylinders"
- hitting on all eight
- In good shape, going well
- hitting the pipe
- Smoking opium
- hoary-eyed
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- hock shop
- Pawnshop
- hogs
- Engines
- hoaky
- 1. Excessively contrived
- 2. Hackneyed
- 3. Sentimental material in a film
- 4. Comparative hoakier, superlative hoakiest, hoak
- hoity-toity
- 1. Behaviour adopted to demonstrate one's superiority
- 2. Pretentious or snobbish behaviour
- 3. Airs and graces
- hokum
- An instance of excessively contrived, hackneyed, or sentimental material in a film[25]
- holaholy
- Person that objects to necking[25]
- holy smokes
- Probation officer[25]
- hombre
- Man or fellow
- honest squeeze
- Female companion or girlfriend
- hooch
- Bootleg liquor
- hood
- Hoodlum
- hooey
- 1. Nonsense
- 2. Bullsh*t
- 3. Very popular from 1925 through 1930 and used sparingly later on
- hoof
- Walk[25]
- hoofer
- Dancer or chorus girl[25]
- hoosegow
- Jail
- hop
- 1. Opiate or marijuana
- 2. Dance e.g. Lindy Hop
- hope chest
- Pack of cigarettes[25]
- hopped up
- Under the influence of drugs
- hopper
- Dancer[25]
- horn
- Telephone
- horn in
- Get into a dance without an invitation[25]
- horsefeathers
- 1. Unoffensive expletive e.g. darn
- 2. same as Applesauce
- hot
- Stolen
- hot dawg
- 1. Hot Socks! rarely spelled as shown outside of flapper circles until popularized by 1940s comic strips
- 2. Great![25]
- hot dog
- That's great!
- hot sketch
- Card or cut-up[7]
- hotsy totsy
- 1. Fancy or sophisticated[25]
- house dick
- 1. House or Hotel security officer
- 2. Officer employed by a hotel or similar establishment
- 3. Detective
- houdini
- 1. Arrive on time for a date[25]
- house peeper
- House or hotel detective
- hush money
- Allowance from father
- hype
- Shortchange artist
Example
flyers made from San Francisco to Hawaii. It is just a hoak meller that will, for the better part, carry in some of the smaller grindhouses.— 1926 Variety Movie Review[24]
Example
. . . where Nazimova comes to a house of refuge, not knowing that Sills is there, and is pronounced dying by physicians, but is saved by Sills' prayer. To us who make and sell pictures, this "saved by prayer" situation registers as hokum, but just the same it has a genuine wallop for most of your customers, and consequently this final sequence effectively tops a very good red meat dramatic yarn.— 1924 Wid's Movie Review[26]
I
[edit]- i have to go see a man about a dog
- I've got to leave now i.e. go buy whiskey
- ice
- Diamonds
- icy mitt
- 1. When you have one-sided feelings for someone or when one is given the cold shoulder in a romantic relationships[27]
- indian hop
- Marijuana
- idler(s)
- 1. One who spends his or her time in inaction
- 2. One who idles
- 3. lazy person
- 4. sluggard
- ing-bing
- As in to throw a fit
- insured
- Engaged[27]
- irish exit, irish goodbye
- Ethnophobic term used for someone who leaves leaving a social gathering without saying goodbye
- iron
- Motorcycle, among motorcycle enthusiasts
- iron one's shoelaces
- Go to the restroom
- ish kabibble
- Retort e.g. I should care from the name of the musician in the Kay Kyser Orchestra
- it
- 1. Sex appeal
- 2. Actress Clara Bow was the "It" girl
- it's the bunk
- I doub't that![27]
Example
In the park awaiting her train home she meets Forrest Chenoworth, a rich idler, whose money has gotten him into trouble with a lady named Jane.— 1920 Wid's Daily Movie Review[28]
J
[edit]- jack
- Money
- jake
- 1. Great, e.g. Everything's jake; see Copacetic[7]
- jalopy
- Dumpy old car; see also bucket cowpie crate heap
- jam
- 1. Trouble
- 2. Tight spot
- jane
- Female[27]
- jay bird
- Person who takes risks[27]
- java
- Coffee
- jaw
- Talk
- jeepers creepers
- 1. Polite expletive for Jesus Christ
- 2. Exclamation
- jerk soda
- 1. Dispense soda from a tap
- 2. Soda Jerk
- jerking a nod
- Nodding
- jingle-brained
- Addled
- jingle-jigaboo
- Derogatory term for African-American
- jitney
- 1. Car employed as a private bus
- 2. Fare was usually five-cents i.e. "Nickel"
- jobbie
- Man
- joe
- Coffee, e.g. A cup of Joe[7]
- joe brooks
- Perfectly dressed person
- john
- Toilet
- john d
- An oily person
- johns
- Police
- johnson brother
- Criminal
- joint
- 1. Establishment or club selling alcohol
- 2. Place e.g. My Joint
- jorum of skee
- Drink of hard liquor
- jug
- Jail
- juice
- Interest on loanshark's loan
- juice joint
- Establishment for serving illegal liquor during prohibition
- junk
- Opium
- jump, the
- Hanging
- jumping tintypes
- Moving pictures[27]
K
[edit]- kale
- Money
- keen
- Something or someone attractive or appealing[27]
- kick off
- Die
- killjoy
- Solemn person[27]
- kike
- Derogatory term for Jewish person
- kippy
- Neat or Nice[27]
- kiss
- To punch
- kisser
- Mouth
- kitten
- Woman
- kneeduster
- Skirt[27]
- knock off
- Kill
- knock up
- Make a woman pregnant
- know your onions
- 1. Know one's business
- 2. Know what one is talking about
L
[edit]- lalapazaza
- Good sport[27]
- lam, on the
- On the run[7]
- lammed off
- Ran away or escaped
- large
- $1,000 e.g.Twenty large would be $20,000
- law, the
- Police
- lay off
- Cut the nonsense
- lead
- Term used for bullets e.g. Fill ya full of lead
- lead poisoning
- To be shot
- left holding The Bag
- 1. Cheated out of one's fair share
- 2. Blamed for something
- lens louise
- The person who dominated all the conversations[27]
- let george do it
- Work evading phrase
- let's blouse
- Work evading phrase e.g.Let's blouse this clambake![27]
- 2. blouse
- lettuce
- Folding money
- level wth me
- Be honest
- lid
- Hat
- limey
- British soldier or citizen, from World War I
- line
- 1. False story, e.g. "to feed one a line"
- 2. Insincere flattery
- lip
- Lawyer especially a criminal attorney
- lip stick
- Cigarette[27]
- live wire
- Lively person
- lollygagger
- 1. Young man who enjoys making out[27]
- 2. Idle person
- looker
- Pretty woman
- look-out
- 1. Person accompanying criminals while they commit a crime and warns them of approaching police or witnesses
- 2. Outside man
- lounge lizard
- Guy that is sexually active
- lousy with
- Have abundance of
- lit
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
Example
It calls for a picked clientele of fans who are able to visualize and distinguish mortal from immortal as portrayed in the flesh. It will not appeal to the Flapper, the Lounge Lizard and Cake Eater, nor to the less intelligent.— 1923 Exhibitors Trade Review Movie Review[15]
M
[edit]- m
- Morphine
- mac
- Man; see also bo buster pal[29]
- mad money
- Carfare home used by a flapper if she has a fight with her date[27]
- made
- Recognized
- main drag
- Most important street in a town or city[7]
- manacle
- Wedding ring[27]
- map
- Face
- marbles
- Pearls
- mark
- 1. Victim of swindle or fixed game
- 2. Sucker
- maroon
- 1. Person marked for a con
- 2. Gullible person
- mazuma
- Money
- mawkish
- 1. Excessively or falsely sentimental
- 2. Showing a sickly excess of sentiment
- meal ticket
- When he calls, the flapper invites the man to have dinner[27]
- meat wagon
- Abulance
- meller
- Melodrama film
- mellerdrammer
- Pronunciation spelling of melodrama
- melodrama
- Drama abounding in romantic sentiment and agonizing situations
- meringue
- Personality[27]
- michigan bankroll
- 1. Roll of counterfeit paper money or a roll of money-sized paper surrounded by one or more genuine bills
- 2. Large roll of paper money in small denominations
- mick
- Derogatory term for irishmen
- mickey finn
- Drink drugged with knock-out drops
- middle aisle
- Marry
- mill
- Typewriter
- milquetoast
- 1. Henpecked male based on the Comic book character Caspar Milquetoast
- 2. Very timid person
- 3. Wimpy
- mind your potatoes
- mind your own business
- mitt
- Hand
- mob
- 1. Gang, but not necessarily mafia
- 2. Black Hand
- 3. Crew
- mohaska
- 1. Gun
- 2. Firearm
- 3. Piece
- moll
- Gangster's girlfriend[7]
- money keen
- Describing someone with a strong focus on acquiring wealth, often at any cost
- moniker
- Name
- monogolist
- Young man who hates himself
- mooch
- Leave[27]
- moonshine
- Homemade alcohol
- mop
- Handkerchief
- mouthpiece
- Lawyer
- mrs. grundy
- 1. Priggish tight-laced person
- 2. Prudish
- mugs
- Men - especially refers to dumb ones
- munitions
- Face powder[27]
- mulligan
- Irish cop
- mustard plaster
- A boy who lingers around and is not wanted[27]
Example
She plays a young wife whose husband falls for the assiduous attentions of a jazzy willo' the wisp. Many of the situations are mawkish and oversentimental, but Lila makes it all possible by her sincerity and poise.— 1924 Photoplay Movie Review[30]
N
[edit]- nailed
- Caught by the police
- neck
- Kiss passionately
- necker(s)
- Girl who wraps her arms around her boyfriend's neck while dancing[27]
- nerts!
- That's Amazing[27]
- nevada gas
- Cyanide
- newshawk
- Reporter
- newsie
- Newspaper vendor
- nibble one
- Have a drink
- nicked
- Stolen
- nifty
- Great, excellent[27]
- nippers
- Handcuffs
- nobody home
- Describes some one who is dumb
- noodle juice
- Tea[27]
- noodle
- Head
- nookie
- Sex
- nosebaggery
- Restaurant[27]
- not a good fellow
- 1. Discreetly indicate someone untrustworthy or dubious in character
- 2. Subtle way of warning others without causing a scene
- not necessarily mafia
- 1. Phrase to describe dubious activities or suspicious individuals
- 2. Not linked to organized crime
- not so good!
- Personally disapprove[27]
- now you're on the trolley
- 1. Now you're right i.e. Now you're on board
- number
- Person
O
[edit]- oatmeal mush
- The superficial conversation of a cake eater[27]
- obituary notice
- Eviction declaration[27]
- off the track
- This person becomes insanely violent when they go off the track
- oh yeah!
- I doubt it![27]
- oil burner
- Person who chews gum[27]
- oilcan
- An imposter[27]
- old boy
- 1. Male term of address, used in conversation with other males
- 2. Denoted acceptance in a social environment
- old fops
- People who are older than middle age[27]
- 3. "old man" "old fruit" e.g."How's everything old boy?"
- old pal
- Cocktail
- oliver twist
- Skilled dancer[27]
- ombibulous
- Lover of alcohol
- on a toot
- On a drinking spree
- on the lam
- 1. Running away, usually from the police; see lam, on the[7]
- on the level
- Legitimate, honest
- on the up and up
- On the level
- op
- Detective
- orchid
- Expensive item[27]
- orphan paper
- Bad checks
- ossified
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- ostrich
- Person who is a Know-it-all[27]
- out on parole
- Divorced[27]
- out on the roof
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- owl
- 1. Person who's out late or stays up late[27]
- owled
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- oyster fruit
- Pearls
Example
Reviewing the 1928 "The Racket" - Eight January Chicago, racketeers who, for various good reasons, or on the lam and temporarily going straight in Los Angeles, we're rounded up and induced to work and this crook melodrama.— 1928 Motion Picture Classic Movie Review[31]
P
[edit]- packing heat
- Carrying a gun
- pal
- Man
- panther piss or sweat
- Homemade Whiskey
- pathos
- 1. The quality or property of anything which touches the feelings or excites emotions and passions
- 2. That which awakens tender emotions, such as pity and sorrow
- 3. Contagious warmth of feeling, action, or expression
- 4. Pathetic quality
- paint the town red
- 1. Go out and flamboyantly enjoy yourself
- 2. Movie reviewers used the phrase, to show the big city how red paint should be applied
- pal {{defn|1=Man
- Man; see also bo buster mac[33]
- palooka
- 1. Social outsider, from the comic strip character joe palooka, who came from humble ethnic roots
- 2. Below-average or average boxer
- pan
- Face
- panic
- Produce big reaction from one's audience
- panther sweat
- Whiskey
- paste
- Punch
- patsy
- 1. Person who is set up
- 2. Fool or chump
- paw
- Hand
- peaching
- Informing
- peeper
- Detective
- peepers
- Eyes
- pen
- Penitentiary, jail
- pen yen
- Opium
- peppy
- Energetic and full of vitality[34]
- percolate
- 1. To boil over
- 2. As of 1925, to run smoothly
- 3. "Perk"
- 4. Let things settle down while you mull things over
- person marked
- 1. Individual targeted for a scam or a setup
- 2. Used by con artists
- 3. Mark
- pet
- 1. Necking
- 2. Making out
- peterman
- Safecracker who uses nitroglycerin
- petting pantry
- Movie theater or cinema[35]
- petting party
- 1. One or more couples making out in a room or auto
- 2. Social event devoted to hugging
- phonus balonus
- Complete nonsense
- pickpocket
- Pickpocketing involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft
- piece
- Gun
- piffle
- Baloney
- pigeon
- Stool-pigeon
- piker
- 1. Cheapskate
- 2. Coward
- pill
- 1. Someone who irritates you e.g. "That person is being a real pill"
- 2. Teacher[34]
- pillowcase
- Young man who is full of feathers[34]
- pinch(ed)
- 1. Arrested
- 2. Pinched
- pinko
- Liberal
- pins
- Legs
- pipe
- See or notice
- pipe down
- Stop talking[34]
- pipes
- Throat
- plastered
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- plant
- 1. Someone who disguises themselves as neutral or affiliated with an organization, yet covertly works with another person or external group
- 2. Bury
- plastered
- 1. Pie-eyed
- 2. Oiled
- 3. Intoxicated
- playboy
- Older boyfriend[34]
- plug
- Shoot
- plugs
- People
- poke
- 1. Bankroll
- 2. Stake
- police-dog
- Young woman's fiance
- pooped
- Killed
- pop
- Kill
- potted
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- pos-i-lute-ly
- 1. Affirmative see pos-i-tive-ly[34]
- primed
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- priscilla
- 1. Stay-at-home girl[34]
- pro skirt
- Prostitute
- produce the cash
- 1. Kiss me![34]
- prom-trotter
- Student who attends all school social functions
- prune pit
- Anything that is traditional[34]
- puffing
- Mugging
- pug
- Pugilist, Boxer
- pull a daniel boone
- Vomit
- pump
- Heart
- pump metal
- Shoot bullets
- punch the bag
- Small talk [34]
- punch rustler
- Individual who spends the majority of their time at parties near the refreshments[34]
- punk
- Hood, Thug
- pushover
- Person easily convinced or seduced
- puss
- Face
- put down
- Drink
- put the screws on
- 1. Get tough with
- 2. Question
- putting on the ritz
- 1. After the Ritz Hotel in Paris (and its namesake César Ritz)
- 2. Doing something in high style
- 3. Ritzy
Example
Dorothy Davenport handles the part of Violetta in an appealing manner, obtaining considerable pathos in the latter scenes— 1916 issue The Moving Picture World[32]
Example
but the pickpocket upsets the boat by relieving a number of the guests of their valuables, and then being obliged to flee— 1916 The Moving Picture World[23]
Q
[edit]- quiff
- 1. Cheap
- 2. Cheap prostitute
- quilt
- Drink that warms one up
R
[edit]- rag-a-muffin
- 1. Disheveled individual
- 2. Dirty
- rags
- Clothes
- rain pitchforks
- Downpour
- ranked
- 1. Observed
- 2. Watched
- 3. Given the once-over
- rap
- Criminal charge
- rappers
- Fakes, set-ups
- rat
- Inform
- rate
- 1. To be good
- 2. To count for something
- rats and mice
- Dice, e.g. craps
- rattler
- Train
- ratz
- How disappointing or darn!
- razz
- To make fun of someone[34]
- real mccoy
- Genuine item[34]
- redhot
- Sort of criminal
- red-light
- Eject from a car or train
- reefers
- Marijuana cigarettes
- regular
- 1. Normal or average i.e. Regular fella
- reel boy
- Man who likes to watch movies[34]
- reuben
- 1. Unsophisticated country bumpkin
- 2. Rube
- rhatz!
- Disappointing[34]
- rhino
- Money
- right
- Indicating quality
- ringers
- Fakes
- ritz
- Stuck up[34]
- ritzy
- Elegant i.e. from the hotel
- rock of ages
- Woman over the age of 30[34]
- rock, the
- Alcatraz
- rod
- Gun
- roscoe
- Gun
- rotgut
- 1. Very bad or cheap alcohol
- 2. Bootleg liquor
- rub
- Dance party
- rube
- 1. Bumpkin
- 2. Easy mark
- rubes
- Money or Dollars
- rub-out
- Killing
- rughopper
- Man who does not date[34]
- rug shaking
- Dancing the shimmy[34]
- rumble, The
- News
- rummy
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- rumrunner
- Someone who smuggles alcohol
Example
I jammed the roscoe in his button and said, "Close your yap, bo, or I squirt metal."— In his article for the Ottawa Citizen, William Denton mentioned Sam Spade, the famous detective character from Dashiell Hammett's works, quoting him as saying:[12]
S
[edit]- sap
- 1. Finale hopper
- 2. Fool
- 3. Idiot
- sap poison
- Getting hit with a sap
- sappy
- 1. Excessively sweet
- 2. Emotional
- 3. Nostalgic
- 4. Cheesy
- 5. Mushy
- savvy
- 1. Get me
- 2. Understand
- sawbuck
- $10 bill e.g. a double sawbuck is a $20 bill or half-sawbuck is $5.00 dollars[36]
- says you
- Reaction of disbelief
- schnozzle
- Nose; see also beezer smeller[12]
- scofflaw
- 1. A person who openly violates the law, particularly by not adhering to a law that is challenging to enforce
- 2. See also scofflaw
- scram
- Leave immediately
- scram Out
- Leave
- screaming meemies
- 1. State of anxiety
- 2. The jitters
- scratch
- Money
- scratcher
- Forger
- screw
- 1. In pre-1930 talkies screw is used to tell a character to leave
- 2. Get lost, get out
- 3. Prison guards
- screwy
- Crazy e.g. "you're screwy!"
- scrooched
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- seetie
- Things that flappers despise[34]
- send over
- Send to jail
- sentiment or Sentimental
- Feelings, especially tender feelings, as apart from reason or judgment, or of a weak or foolish kind
- shamus
- Detective (private)
- 1. Swindlers, especially at cards
- 2. Sneaky person
- A good dancer who spends his money freely[34]
- sheba
- Woman with sex appeal (from the movie The Queen of Sheba)
- sheik
- Man with sex appeal (from the Valentino movies)
- shells
- Bullets
- shifter
- Grafter
- shine box
- Bar or club of black patrons
- shiv
- Knife
- show case
- Wealthy man's wife decked out in jewels[34]
- shylock
- Loanshark
- shyster
- Lawyer
- simolean(s)
- Dollar(s)
- sing
- Make a confession
- sinker
- Doughnut
- sip
- Female dancer[34]
- sister
- Woman
- sitting pretty
- In a prime position
- skate around
- Be of easy virtue
- skee
- Scotch Whiskey
- skid rogue
- Bum who can't be trusted
- skirt
- Attractive female
- slat
- Young man or boyfriend[34]
- slant, get a
- Take a look
- slapper
- Reformer or the antithesis of a flapper[34]
- sleuth
- Detective
- slug
- 1. To knock unconscious
- 2. bullet
- smart person
- this was a compliment for someone who was street-smart and savvy, particularly in urban settings.
- smarty
- Cute flapper
- smeller
- Nose; see also schnozzle beezer[12]
- smith brother
- Man who never pays i.e. coughs up[34]
- smoked
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- smoke-eater
- 1. Any Smoker[34]
- smooth
- 1. Man who cannot be trusted[34]
- smudger
- Close dancer[34]
- snake charmer
- Woman involved in bootlegging[34]
- snap a cap
- Shout
- snatch
- Kidnap
- sneaky person
- Someone who is cunning and deceptive, often involved in underhanded dealings
- sneeze
- Take
- snitch
- Informer, or to inform
- snooper
- Detective
- snort(s)
- Drink(s) of liquor
- snugglepup
- Young man who frequents petting parties
- so's your old man
- Reply of irritation
- soak
- Pawn
- sock
- Punch
- sockdollager
- Event or action of great importance
- sodbuster
- Undertaker
- soft shoe
- 1. Trail behind someone[34]
- soup
- Nitroglycerine
- soup Job
- Crack a safe using nitroglycerine
- spade(s)
- Derogatory term for Afican-Americans
- speakeasy
- Illicit bar selling bootleg liquor
- spifflicated
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- spiffy
- Elegant appearance
- spill
- Talk, inform[34]
- spinach
- Money
- spitting
- Talking
- spoon
- To neck, or at least talk of love
- square
- Honest
- squeeze
- Female companion or girlfriend.
- squirrel
- Hide[34]
- squirt metal
- Shoot bullets
- static
- 1. Empty talk[34]
- 2. Conflicting opinion
- statts
- Conversation that means nothing
- step Off
- To be hanged
- step off a wharf
- Ordering drinks and then refusing to cover the bill[34]
- stiff
- Corpse
- stilts
- Legs[34]
- sting
- Culmination of a con game
- stool pigeon
- Informer
- stoolie
- Stool-pigeon
- strangler
- What a spendthrift isn't
- streeted
- Thrown out of a party[38]
- strike breaker
- Young woman who goes with her friend's "steady" while there is a coolness[38]
- strike me dead
- Bootleg liquor
- struggle
- Modern dance[38]
- struggle buggy
- 1. Backseat of a car
- 2. Parent's worst nightmare
- stuck on
- You have a crush on someone[38]
- stutter bus
- Truck[38]
- stutter-tub
- Motor boat
- sucker
- Someone ripe for a grifter's scam
- sugar
- Money
- sugar daddy
- Older boyfriend who showers girlfriend with gifts[38]
- swanky
- 1. Good, Elegant, Ritzy[38]
- sweetie
- Anybody she hates
- swell
- 1. Great[38]
- swindlers
- People who use deception to deprive someone of money or possessions
Example
The two sharpers escape and join another member of the confidence game.— 1916 The Moving Picture World[37]
T
[edit]- tail
- Shadow or follow
- take a powder
- Leave
- take for a ride
- 1. Drive off with someone in order to bump them off
- 2. Take someone to a deserted location and murder them
- take on
- Eat
- take the air
- Leave[38]
- take the bounce
- To get kicked out
- take the fall for
- Accept punishment for
- tanked
- Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
- § drunk
- tasty
- Appealing[39]
- tea
- Marijuana
- tearjerker
- Emotionally charged film, novel, song, opera, with one or more sad passages or ending, so termed because it suggests one is likely to cry during its performance
- teetotaler
- Person who abstains from the consumption of alcohol
- tell it to sweeney
- Tell it to someone who'll believe it
- ten cent box
- Taxi cab see hack[39]
- that's the crop
- That's all of it
- the advantage bulls
- Plainclothes railroad cops
- the money man
- Man with the bankroll
- the nuts
- Good![39]
- the real mccoy
- The real thing
- they
- Refers to objecting parents
- three letter man
- Homosexual
- three-spot
- Three-year jail term
- throw lead
- Shoot bullets
- ticket
- Private Investigator License (PI)
- tiger milk
- Some sort of liquor
- tight
- Attractive[39]
- tighten the screws
- Put pressure on somebody
- tin
- Badge
- tin pan alley
- Music industry in New York, located between 48th and 52nd streets
- tip a few
- Have a few drinks
- tomato
- 1. Attractive woman or Good looking girl with no brains[7]
- toddler
- finale hopper's faster sister[39]
- tooting The Wrong Ringer
- Asking the wrong person
- torpedo(s)
- Hired thug or hitman
- toss and hike
- Decide to pursue a new girl and reject the current one[39]
- trap
- Mouth
- trigger man
- Man whose job is to use a gun
- trip for biscuits
- Wild goose chase
- trotzky
- Mature woman with facial hair[39]
- trouble boys
- Groups of young men known for causing mischief or getting into minor legal troubles
- 2. Gangsters
- twist
- Woman
- two bits
- 1. Twenty-five cents ($.25) or Twenty-five dollars ($25)
U
[edit]- under glass
- In jail
- unreal
- Special[39]
- upchuck
- Vomit, yak, spew, especially after consuming too much Giggle juice[39]
- upstage
- Sobby[39]
- urban set
- New gown[39]
V
[edit]- vamp
- 1. Female seducer of men
- 2. Aggressive female flirt
- voot
- Money
W
[edit]- walk in
- Party crasher[39]
- wallop(s)
- 1. A heavy blow, punch e.g. he gave him a mighty wallop
- 2. Emotional impact, psychological force e.g. that film has some serious wallop
- 3. Thrill, emotionally excited reaction
- waster
- 1. Someone or something that wastes
- 2. Someone who squanders or spends extravagantly
- water-proof
- Face that doesn't require make-up[39]
- weak sister
- Push-over
- wear iron
- Carry a gun
- weasel
- Young man who steals a girl from her boyfriend[39]
- Weepie
- 1. Sad or sentimental film, often portraying troubled romance
- 2. Film designed to elicit a tearful emotional response from its audience
- weeping willow
- Same as crepehanger
- wet
- Place where liquor is available or person who is in favor of legal alcohol sales
- wet blanket
- 1. Person who spoils a fun moment i.e. Killjoy[39]
- whale
- Heavy drinker
- whangdoodle
- Jazz band[39]
- what's eating you?
- What's wrong?
- whiskbroom
- A man who cultivates whiskers[39]
- white lightning
- Moonshine
- whoopee
- 1. Boisterous, convivial fun[39]
- 2. Having fun had with a romantic partner
- windsucker
- Braggart[39]
- wise Guy
- Smart aleck
- wise Head
- Smart person
- wooden kimono
- Coffin
- woof! woof!
- Ridicule[39]
- wop
- Derogatory term for an Italian
- worker
- Woman who takes a guy for his money e.g. She Sizes Up As A Worker
- wrestle
- Dance variant of Shimmy dance[39]
- wrinkle
- Girl's mother[39]
- wrong gee
- Not a good fellow
- wrong number
- Not a good fellow
- wrong person
- Used in secretive conversations to indicate a mistake in identity, especially in dealings that required discretion.
- wurp
- Killjoy[39]
Example
. . . where Nazimova comes to a house of refuge, not knowing that Sills is there, and is pronounced dying by physicians, but is saved by Sills' prayer. To us who make and sell pictures, this "saved by prayer" situation registers as hokum, but just the same it has a genuine wallop for most of your customers, and consequently this final sequence effectively tops a very good red meat dramatic yarn.— 1924 Wid's Movie Review[26]
Example
In the park awaiting her train home she meets Forrest Chenoworth, a rich idler, whose money has gotten him into trouble with a lady named Jane. . . The alderman's son, a waster, is acquainted with Jane— 1920 Wid's Daily Movie Review[28]
Example
I am a one-sided person—what you call, perhaps, a wet blanket. I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't gamble, I don't dance. I like my home. I do not like boldness, lack of restraint.
— 1923 Photoplay interview of Joseph Schildkraut[40]
Y
[edit]- ya follow
- Do you understand?
- yap
- Mouth
- yard
- One hundred dollars ($100)
- yegg
- Safecracker who can only open cheap and easy safes
- yellowback
- 1. U.S. dollar having a yellow-colored back
- 2. Out West during the Civil War, California used currencies with yellowback, while out East, they used greenbacks
- you slay me!
- That's funny!
Z
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c Animal alternatives having the same meaning as Bee's Knees [41]
Bee's ankles, bee's knee's, Bullfrog's beard,
Canary's tusks, Cat's Canary, Cat's cuffs,
Cat's eye, Cat's eyebrows, Cat's kimono,
cat's meow, cat's pajamas, Cat's underwear,
Cat's whiskers, Clam's garters, Cuckoo's chin,
Dog's ankles,Dog's bollocks, Duck's Quack, Eel's hips,
Eel's ankle, Elephant's adenoids,
Elephant's arches, Elephant's eyebrows,
Elephant's instep, Elephant's hips,
Elephant's wrist, Frog's ankles,
Frog's elbow, Frog's eyebrows, Gnat's elbow,
Goat's whiskers, Grasshopper's knees,Hen's eyebrows, Kitten's ankles, Leopard's stripes,
Monkey's eyebrows, Pig's feet, Pig's wings,
Puppy's tail, Pussycat's whiskers, Sardine's whiskers, Snake's ears, Snake's hips, Snugglepup's bow-bow, Spider's ankles, Tiger's spots, Turtle's neck, - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z In the early 20th century, people commonly used these terms to describe being inebriated: Dalzell 2012, pp. 12
- Bent
- Blind
- Blotto
- Bolognied
- Canned
- Crocked
- Boiled as an owl
- Corked
- Embalmed
- Fried
- Fried to the Hat
- Half Seas Over
- Half Under
- Hoary-eyed
- Jammed
- Jiggered
- Juiced
- Lit
- Oiled
- Out like a light
- Out on the roof
- Ossified
- Owled
- Pie-eyed
- Piffled
- Plastered
- Polluted
- Potted
- Primed
- Shellacked
- Shot
- Stew to the hat.
- Scrooched
- Smoked
- Spifficated
- Tanked
- Zozzled
Works cited
[edit]Books
- Chapman, Robert L (1987). American Slang. New York, New York: Harper & Row. p. 499. ISBN 0-06-096160-0.
Abridged edition of the New Dictionary of American Slang
- Dalzell, T. (2012). Flappers 2 Rappers: American Youth Slang. Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-12162-8. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- Dalzell, T. (2018). The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-351-76520-6. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- Farmer, J.S.; Henley, W.E. (1890). Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present: A to Byz. Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present: A Dictionary, Historical and Comparative of the Heterodox Speech of All Classes of Society for More Than Three Hundred Years. subscribers only. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- Green, J. (2005). Cassell's Dictionary of Slang. Weidenfeld & Nicholson. ISBN 978-0-304-36636-1. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- Hotten, J.C. (1894). The Slang Dictionary: Etymological, Historical, and Anecdotal. Chatto & Windus. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- Kipfer, B.A.; Chapman, R.L. (2010). Dictionary of American Slang. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-204324-5. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- Lighter, J.E.; Random House (Firm) (1994). Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang: A-G. Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang. Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-54427-4. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- Lighter, J.E.; Random House (Firm) (1994). Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang: H-O. Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang. Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-54427-4. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- Lighter, J.E.; Random House (Firm) (1994). Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang. Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang.3. Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-43465-8. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- Lighter, J.E. (2007). Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang: T - Z. Random House. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- Maitland, J. (1891). The American Slang Dictionary. The American Slang Dictionary. R.J. Kittredge & Company. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- Maitland, J. (2017). The American Slang Dictionary (Classic Reprint). Fb&c Limited. ISBN 978-0-266-32805-6. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- McCutcheon, M. (1995). The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life from Prohibition Through World War II. The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life Series. Writer's Digest Books. ISBN 978-0-89879-697-1. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- Mitchell, C.R. (2019). 1920s Slang Dictionary (in Tagalog). Independently Published. ISBN 978-1-0728-6161-4. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- Partridge, Eric (1984). A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English: Colloquialisms and Catch-phrases, Solecisms and Catachreses, Nicknames, Vulgarisms (8th ed.). New York, New York: Macmilan Publishing Company. p. 1400. ISBN 0-02-594980-2.<-- [42] -->
- Wentworth, Harold; Flexner, Stuart Berg (1975). Dictionary of American slang - Harold Wentworth, Stuart Berg Flexner - Google Books. Crowell. ISBN 9780690006704. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
Web Dictionaries and PDFs
- Serrani, Alyssa (December 13, 2021). "Comeback-Worthy 1920s Slang That Only Rag-a-Muffins Won't Appreciate". YourDictionary. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- Historical Dictionary of American Slang (this version)
- Online Etymology Dictionary
- "Thesaurus and word tools for your creative needs". WordHippo. February 19, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- "1920's Slang". huffenglish.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- Wiktionary - a free standard dictionary
- "Slang of the 1920's" (PDF). center.uoregon.edu. University of Oregon. 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
Slang of the 1920's The twenties were the first decade to emphasize youth culture over the older generations, and the flapper sub-culture had a tremendous influence on mainstream America; many new words and phrases were coined by these liberated women. Many of these are still used today!
- "slang_of_the_1920s.pdf" (PDF). Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- "Dictionaries and Works Cited: Dictionary of Newfoundland English". Heritage.nf.ca. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- "Dictionaries and Works Cited: Dictionary of Newfoundland English". Heritage.nf.ca. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
Websites
- Brockway, Laura Hale (March 25, 2021). "phrases from the 1920s". PR Daily. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- "1920s Slang". Smoky Hill Museum. 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- "1920s and 1930s Slang Dictionary". Orlando Dinner Show. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- "1920s Slang". Lighthouse Translations. February 5, 2024. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- "Learn 1920s Speakeasy Prohibition Slang!". Shot In The Dark Mysteries Murder. February 6, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- "The LSC After Dark Guide to 1920s Slang". Liberty Science Center. November 15, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- Ross, Scott (2013). "Early 20th Century American Slang". Reader's Digest. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
- Smith, Sam Benson (September 10, 2019). "30 Slang Words from the 1920s That Are Worth Bringing Back". Reader's Digest. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
References
[edit]- ^ Brooks, P. (1995). The Melodramatic Imagination: Balzac, Henry James, Melodrama, and the Mode of Excess. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-06553-4. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ Costello, Robert B., ed. (1991). Random House Webster's College Dictionary. New York: Random House. p. 845. ISBN 978-0-679-40110-0.
- ^ Stevenson, Angus; Lindberg, Christine A., eds. (2010). New Oxford American Dictionary, Third Edition. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 1091. ISBN 978-0-19-539288-3.
- ^ a b "What Does 'Eighty-Six' Mean?". merriam-webster.com. Merriam-Webster, an Encyclopaedia Britannica company. 2005. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Roaring 20s Slang". quizlet.com. 2024 Quizlet, Inc. 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq Dalzell 2012, p. 11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Curland, Richard (September 10, 2016). "Historically Speaking: 1920's slang reflected the era's cultural shift". The Bulletin. Norwich, Connecticut. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ Partridge 1984, p. 10.
- ^ a b Chapman 1987, p. 6.
- ^ Anderson, Nels (1923). "The hobo; the sociology of the homeless man". Internet Archive. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ Partridge 1984, p. 30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Twists, Slugs and Roscoes - A Glossary of Hard-Boiled Slang". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. July 5, 1998. p. 41. Retrieved August 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Compiled by William Denton
- ^ Martin, Gary (January 1, 1997). "Phrase Finder". phrases.org.uk. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ Chapman 1987, p. 55.
- ^ a b "Puritan Passions with Glenn Hunter and Mary Astor". Exhibitors Trade Review. New York, Exhibitor's trade review, inc. September 15, 1923. p. 720. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Dalzell 2012, p. 12.
- ^ "The Rent Collector (Vitagraph)". Exhibitors Herald. Chicago, Exhibitors Herald. March 10, 1923. p. 1283. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ "LAEMMLE - No. 16 Martin Place". The Moving Picture World. New York, Chalmers Publishing Company. July 15, 1916. p. 583. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
- ^ a b "Metro-They Like "Em Rough"". Exhibitors Herald. Chicago, Exhibitors Herald. August 5, 1922. p. 487. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
- ^ "Comments on the Films - Exclusively by our own Staff". The Moving Picture Weekly. October 14, 1916. p. 540. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq Dalzell 2012, p. 13.
- ^ Partridge 1984, p. 385.
- ^ a b ""A Stranger from Somewhere" - Five-Reel Bluebird Photoplay With Franklin Farnum in a Dual Role". The Moving Picture World. New York, Chalmers Publishing Company. November 18, 1916. p. 999. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ a b "NON-STOP FLIGHT". Variety. July 7, 1926. p. 17. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Dalzell 2012, p. 14.
- ^ a b "NAZIMOVA AND MILTON SILLS in Madonna of the Streets". Wid's. Hollywood : Wid's Weekly. December 25, 1924. p. 191. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
Ordinary Production Given to Very Convenient Melodrama
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am Dalzell 2012, p. 15.
- ^ a b "Gladys Leslie in Vitagraph's "THE MIDNIGHT BRIDE"". Wid's Daily. New York, Wid's Films and Film Folks, Inc. February 1, 1920. p. 148. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
- ^ Chapman 1987, p. 276.
- ^ "Wandering Husbands". Photoplay. MacFadden Publishing Inc. August 1, 1924. p. 88. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ Thorpe, Dunham (December 1, 1928). "Muttling "The Racket" - the underworld has sat to silence this film fusillade trained on it". Motion Picture Classic. New York: New York, Motion Picture Publications, Inc. p. 63. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ "The Other Woman - Two-Reel Gold Seal Offering Presents Entertaining Little Study of Artistic Temperament". The Moving Picture World. Chicago, Exhibitors Herald. May 6, 1918. p. 109. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
Reviewed by Robert C. McElravy.
- ^ Chapman 1987, p. 320.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj Dalzell 2012, p. 16.
- ^ Dalzell 2012.
- ^ Chapman 1987, p. 377.
- ^ "Bluebird Photoplays, Inc - A Stranger from Somewhere". The Moving Picture World. New York, Chalmers Publishing Company. November 25, 1916. p. 1226. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Dalzell 2012, p. 17.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Dalzell 2012, p. 18.
- ^ "What is Anglo-Saxon hypocrisy - By Mark Larkin". Photoplay. MacFadden Publishing Inc. June 1929. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ Dalzell 2012, pp. 19
- ^ Partridge 1984.
External links
[edit]- Slang of the 1920s on YouTube
- The Jazz Age In America
- Roaring Twenties from U S History.com