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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]
S.S. Kresge Lunch Counter and Soda Fountain, about 1920
86

Main article: 86

1.  Soda-counter term meaning an item was no longer available[4]
2.  "Eighty-six" means to discard, eliminate, or deny service[4]

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]

Example
A “cotton glaumer” picks cotton, an “apple knocker” picks apples and other fruit

— 1923 book by Nels Anderson[10]
applesauce
1.  Flattery[6]
2.  Nonsense, e.g."Aw, Applesauce!"[7]
armchair
1.  Love nest[6]
attaboy!
1.  Well done! or Attagirl![11]

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

Main article: 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

Main article: 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

Main article: Prison

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

Main article: 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

Main article: Blind date

Going out with someone you do not know
blind pig or blind tiger

Main article: Speakeasy

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
See also: Ku Klux Klan
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

Main article: Alcoholic beverage

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

Main article: Woman

Woman
bronx cheer

Main article:Blowing a raspberry

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

Main article: Cigarette

Give me a cigarette[6]
butter and egg man
1.  Man with the bankroll or money[12]
2.  Yokel who comes to town
button
Face, nose, end of jaw
button man
Professional killer
buttons
Police
button shining
Dancing very close to each other[6]
butt(s)

Main article: Cigarette

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

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]
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

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]
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

Main article: Thompson submachine gun

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

Main article: Thompson submachine gun

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

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]
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

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]
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

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

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]
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

Main article: 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

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

Example
After his arrival, Dippy filches many of the guests of their valuables

— 1922 Exhibitors Herald Movie Review[23]
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)

Main article: Flapper

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

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]
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

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

Main article: Alcohol

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

Main article: 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

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]
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

H

[edit]
hack
Taxicab
hair of the dog

Main article: 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

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]
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]

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]
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

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

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]
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]

J

[edit]
jack
Money
jake
1.  Great, e.g. Everything's jake; see Copacetic[7]
jalopy

Main article: Decrepit car

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

Main article: Speakeasy

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

Main article: Fugitive

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

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]
lousy with
Have abundance of
lit
Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
§ drunk

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

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]
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

Main article:Caspar 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

Main article: 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]

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

Main article: Fugitive

1.  Running away, usually from the police; see lam, on the[7]

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]
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

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

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]
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

Main article: Pickpocket

Pickpocketing involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft

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]
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

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

Main article:Blowing a raspberry

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
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

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]
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

Main article: Rumrunner

Someone who smuggles alcohol

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

Main article: 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

Main article: 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)
sharper(s)
1.  Swindlers, especially at cards
2.  Sneaky person

Example
The two sharpers escape and join another member of the confidence game.

— 1916 The Moving Picture World[37]
sharpshooter
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

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)

Main article: Torpedo

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

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]
waster
1.  Someone or something that wastes
2.  Someone who squanders or spends extravagantly

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]
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]

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]
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]

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]
zotzed
Individual is murdered[12]
zozzled
Alternate names for intoxicated[b]
§ drunk

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ 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,

  2. ^ 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

Works cited

[edit]

Books

Web Dictionaries and PDFs

Websites

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Costello, Robert B., ed. (1991). Random House Webster's College Dictionary. New York: Random House. p. 845. ISBN 978-0-679-40110-0.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b "What Does 'Eighty-Six' Mean?". merriam-webster.com. Merriam-Webster, an Encyclopaedia Britannica company. 2005. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Roaring 20s Slang". quizlet.com. 2024 Quizlet, Inc. 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Partridge 1984, p. 10.
  9. ^ a b Chapman 1987, p. 6.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Partridge 1984, p. 30.
  12. ^ 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
  13. ^ Martin, Gary (January 1, 1997). "Phrase Finder". phrases.org.uk. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  14. ^ Chapman 1987, p. 55.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ "LAEMMLE - No. 16 Martin Place". The Moving Picture World. New York, Chalmers Publishing Company. July 15, 1916. p. 583. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ "Comments on the Films - Exclusively by our own Staff". The Moving Picture Weekly. October 14, 1916. p. 540. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ Partridge 1984, p. 385.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ a b "NON-STOP FLIGHT". Variety. July 7, 1926. p. 17. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ 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
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ Chapman 1987, p. 276.
  30. ^ "Wandering Husbands". Photoplay. MacFadden Publishing Inc. August 1, 1924. p. 88. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ "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.
  33. ^ Chapman 1987, p. 320.
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ Dalzell 2012.
  36. ^ Chapman 1987, p. 377.
  37. ^ "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.
  38. ^ a b c d e f g h i Dalzell 2012, p. 17.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ "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.
  41. ^ Dalzell 2012, pp. 19
  42. ^ Partridge 1984.
[edit]


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