1920s slang essay

1920s Slang: 35 Hotsy-Totsy Terms We Should Bring Back

By ellen gutoskey | feb 9, 2024, 11:32 am est.

The Roaring Twenties gave us U.S. women’s suffrage , penicillin , and the League of Nations. It also gave us the phrase screaming meemies . Here are some 1920s slang terms to liven up your conversations in the 2020s.

Alarm Clock

Bread and honey, bushwa and phonus-bolonus, caterpillar’s kimono and tadpole’s teddies, coil one’s ropes, doowhanger and doo-wah-diddy, gandy dancer, horsefeathers and horsecollar, hotsy-totsy, john q. public, juice joint, knee dusters, moom pitcher, screaming meemies, tell that to my aunt fanny.

This term, which dates back to 1922, was used to refer to someone who nagged or worried a lot. It was also a term for a chaperone. Jim Tully employed that phrase in its first sense in his 1922 novel Emmett Lawler : “Why, Auntie! You awful alarm clock. I never felt better than I have this summer.”

If you wanted to dish out a compliment to a particularly fetching and well-dressed lady in the 1920s, you might go with bellibone , which was apparently derived from the French phrase belle et bonne , meaning “beautiful and good.”

A slang term for the butt that was often used in the phrase get your bohunkus out of here .

H.L. Mencken is credited with coining booboisie , a clunky portmanteau of boob and bourgeoisie that describes any group of “stupid, inept, or blundering people,” per the Oxford English Dictionary . “Democracy is the theory that the booboisie knows what it wants, and deserves to get it good and hard,” Mencken wrote in 1921.

Mencken also coined bootician , another word for a bootlegger, in 1925. “The term met a crying need,” he would later write , “and had considerable success.”

Rhyming slang for money .

Trying to cut down on traditional cursing ? Swap out bullshit for its subtler offshoot bushwa , meaning “nonsense.” Or use phonus-bolonus , another contemporaneous term that also covered exaggeration, trickery, or basically any other phony behavior.

You’ve heard of the cat’s pajamas and the bee’s knees, but flappers came up with many, many more animal-related phrases to get across the idea that something was pretty wonderful. Among them were caterpillar’s kimono and tadpole’s teddies .

Discussing your favorite Christmas cookies and Christmas songs could be even more entertaining if you called them “Crimbo cookies” and “Crimbo songs” instead. Brits coined the term Crimbo , which also inspired a not Christmas-specific interjection. “By crimbo,” you might say, “That Mariah Carey is quite the Queen of Christmas !”

This slang term meaning “to die” likely originated with sailors— according to Green’s Dictionary of Slang, “a good sailor always coiled his ropes properly at the end of his work.”

The word dhobi (from the Hindi dhōbī ), describing “a native washerman in India,” per the OED, had entered the English lexicon by the early 19th century. About a century later, Navy men started referring to doing laundry in general as dobeying .

Doowhanger was a slang term for “any nameless small object, typically some form of gadget,” according to Green’s. Author Louis Felix Ranlett used it in his 1927 novel Let’s Go : “Whoever fired that doo-whanger at him’s a poor shot.” Similarly, Green’s notes that the term doo-wah-diddy was “used as an all-purpose substitute for a word or phr[ase] one does not wish to use properly.”

The eagers was a 1920s slang term for anxiety or overeagerness. Here’s an example from a 1928 slang dictionary: “Don’t get the eagers now—just take things easy.”

A slang term from 1929 that meant, according to Green’s, “a disappointment, a failure; someone/something that promises much and fails to deliver.”

Railroad maintenance workers were sometimes called “ gandy dancers ” in the 1920s, though it’s a bit of a mystery where gandy came from. According to a 1933 edition of the American Dialect Society journal American Speech , the phrase was inspired by “the rhythmic up-and-down motion of workers pumping a handcar.”

Did a clever con artist swindle you out of your fortune—or convince you to buy the Brooklyn Bridge , perhaps? Take consolation in the fact that you can now at least say “I got gazumped ” (or gazoomphed , an alternate spelling with a little extra oomph). 

Horsefeathers was another way to refer to nonsense or rubbish that was apparently coined as euphemism for horseshit . The word horsecollar meant the same thing, but was used as an exclamation. The word first popped up in print in 1923, and Jack Conroy used it in his 1935 book World to Win : “‘He felt as though he must write poetry, beauty burned so madly in his breast.’ ‘Horsecollar!’ scoffed Alan.”

Flapper-era Americans took hot in the “great” or “wonderful” sense and created a jauntier version: hotsy-totsy . Its meaning got muddled a bit due to the older expression hoity-toity , so some later instances of hotsy-totsy imply haughtiness or pretension, especially in reference to fashion. 

Read More Articles About Slang From Decades Past:

The practice of calling a hypothetical man “ John Doe ” has been around since the 16th century . But the 1920s gave rise to a new iteration: John Q. Public , which, as the name suggests, represents an average male member of the populace. 

When silent-film star Gloria Swanson auctioned off the furnishings from her Long Island summer home in 1927, for example, The Los Angeles Times reported that “Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public, whatever they think of Gloria on the screen, didn’t enthuse over buying her cast-off eastern furniture.”

A slang term for a soda stand, juice joint was coined in 1927 and eventually came to refer to any establishment serving beverages, whether they were boozy or not.

As technology exploded in the early twentieth century, fashion underwent a revolution of its own. The flappers of the 1920s raised hemlines to heights previously considered indecent. These short (at least for the time) dresses were given a descriptive nickname: knee dusters .

If you were feeling depressed in the 1910s, you might say you “ had the woofits .” The following decade produced another way to describe the blues: mokus . Its provenance is a mystery, but it may have originated in the military and/or been influenced by mocker , an Australian slang term for bad luck.

The ubiquity of the term movie today makes it easy to forget just how cute it is that English speakers started calling moving pictures “ movies ” and simply never stopped. What they did stop doing was calling them “ moom pitchers ,” which is unfortunate.

Scofflaws weren’t in short supply in the 1920s. The word—which describes a person who proudly flouts the law—entered the lexicon with help from a man named Delcevare King in 1924. That year, King held a contest to pick a name for the rule-breakers who imbibed during Prohibition. Throughout the decade, scofflaw was applied to people who drank alcohol in addition to indulging in other illicit activities.

When the phrase screaming meemies arrived on the scene in the ’20s, it described drunkenness or the withdrawal symptoms you might experience after a bender . “A couple of tots of this brew would probably, to use the expressive language of the States, give one ‘the heeby-[jeebies],’ ‘the screaming meemies,’ or ‘the whoops and jingles,’” South London’s Norwood News reported in 1927. (The brew in question was “whisky, port, and horseradish cream.”)

By the following decade, the definition had expanded to include hysteria or extreme nervousness brought on by basically anything—from watching a suspenseful film to finding out that Eleanor Roosevelt and friends once disrespected the sanctity of the word picnic by eating their picnic lunch in a hotel dining room (in her defense, it was raining).

Dropped your phone in the toilet and now it won’t turn on? Consider it spitchered —a nautical slang term for “rendered inoperative, ruined,” per the OED. It derives from spicca , Maltese for “finished.”

Having an aunt named Fanny is not a prerequisite of exclaiming “ Tell that to my Aunt Fanny !” upon learning something too outrageous to believe. My auntie and my arse are both earlier interjections used to similar effect, so it’s possible that the Aunt Fanny version arose as a conflation of sorts.

Texan Road —a variant of Texen Road —was part of a trend of “Ka-cab—Ka-lat,” or backtalk. The phrase meant “next door.” Here’s an example exchange from a 1923 Northern Irish newspaper: “For instance, one shop-boy would ask another, ‘Where’s the retsam?’ and the reply would come like lightning ‘Texen Road.’”

In early 20th-century rhyming slang , tit for tat meant “hat.” That eventually got shortened to titfer , which wouldn’t be out of place on a list of words that sound dirty but actually aren’t .

Both yentz and its Yiddish source, yentsen , mean “to copulate.” Ernest Hemingway made colorful use of the term, which he spelled yence , on a few occasions. “The dancers dance in long white pants / It isn’t right to yence your aunts,” he wrote in his poem “The Soul of Spain With McAlmon and Bird the Publishers.” Hell of a way to find out where Hemingway stands on the aunt pronunciation debate.

As long as they have produced alcohol, humans have come up with creative terms for getting drunk. The 1920s gave us one of the more delightful euphemisms for intoxication: zozzled . It’s one of many pieces of drinking lingo that was popularized during Prohibition, but unlike hooch and plastered , zozzled didn’t become a permanent part of the language.

A version of this story ran in 2023; it has been updated for 2024.

The Language of the 1920s: More Than the Bee’s Knees

No doubt: the 1920s were the bee’s knees . But the ads banking on the latest film adaptation of The Great Gatsby would have you believe the Jazz Age was all about flappers, fashion, and parties. It was more than that.

After World War I , Americans had more money to spend . That combined with “low prices. . . and generous credit made cars affordable luxuries” in the early 1920s ; by the end of the decade, “they were practically necessities.”

Zez Confrey Car

With “ a car in every backyard ,” automobile-related language entered the everyday lexicon. There was step on it , as in “step on the gas” or hurry up, in 1923 ;   jalopy in 1924 ; and in 1927, back-seat driver , “a passenger who constantly advises, corrects, or nags the driver of a motor vehicle,” and by extension, “a person who persists in giving unsolicited advice.” (This 1929 article lauded Mrs. Charles Lindbergh for keeping her mouth shut as her husband flew and being “no ‘back seat’ driver.”)

Americans were also going to the movies more. By the end of the decade, “three-quarters of the American population visited a movie theater every week,” says History.com . Hollywood , a district of Los Angeles, came to refer to the U.S. film industry in general around 1926 , three years after the Hollywood sign was erected.

Synonyms for the movies arose, including flick ( 1926 ) and the silver screen ( 1924 ). In 1921 , Chaplinesque entered the vernacular, and in 1927, Valentino , named after movie heartthrob Rudolph Valentino, came to mean a “good-looking romantic man.”

Also in 1927, it meaning “sex appeal,” while originally coined by Rudyard Kipling , was popularized by Elinor Glyn in her novel, It , and the film of the same name. Clara Bow, the star of the movie, became known as the It Girl , which now refers to any fashionable young female celebrity with a certain something.

The post- Victorian age also saw a change in “ manners and mores ,” with raised hemlines (“all of nine inches above the ground”), petting parties (more on that later), and wider acceptance of contraception . Along with that came new words about sex and relationships.

Blind date , a date with someone one hasn’t seen before, originated as college slang around 1921, says the Online Etymology Dictionary . The earliest attested use referred to the person one was going on the date with.

While we’re sure the French kiss existed before the 1920s, the earliest citation in English is from around 1923 , with the idea of equating French culture with “sexual sophistication.”

Sexpert , a sex therapist or expert in sex, is attested to 1924 . Sugar daddy , a rich older man who lavishes gifts on a younger woman, came about in 1926 ; gigolo , a male prostitute, is from 1922 ; and tomcat , to pursue multiple women, is from 1927, says the OED. To two-time , or cheat on a lover, is from 1924 . The earlier non-romantic notion of to deceive or double-cross is from 1922.

Now how about those petting parties? The earliest citation goes to F. Scott Fitzgerald in his debut novel, This Side of Paradise , published in 1920: “That great current American phenomenon, the ‘petting party.'” ( Petting , in case you were unclear, refers to the “practice of amorously embracing, kissing, and caressing one’s partner.”) However, not everyone was such a fan of this 1920s version of PDA , such as one Fay King in a 1923 article :

But when this love stuff becomes a dull, deadly determined battle of the eyes, and a kiss is a long drawn out disgusting episode, it’s time somebody blew a whistle or rang a bell to remind these love birds that public petting parties are not permitted.

The term sleep around originated around 1928, says the OED, with the earliest recorded mention by Aldous Huxley : “‘Sleeping around’—that was how he had heard a young American girl describe the amorous side of the ideal life, as lived in Hollywood.”

Who were these young girls? We know them as flappers . The term flapper originated around 1921 , but where it came from is uncertain. A possibility is flapper meaning “a young bird when first trying its wings,” or the 17th century flap meaning “young woman of loose character.”

While we might think of the flapper as a sexually free “young woman with bobbed hair and short skirts who drank, smoked and said what might be termed ‘unladylike’ things,” the term flapper became “the popular press catch-word for an adult woman worker, aged twenty-one to thirty.”

In 1926 , a train which conveyed “only female workers to London each morning” was dubbed “the flapper special.” From a 1927 article about giving women over 21 in the United Kingdom the right to vote : “The expression ‘flapper vote’ has been used by those who strongly denounced the plan to extend the vote to women between the ages of twenty and thirty.” Lady Astor , “American born pioneer woman member of the House of Commons,” responded:

They are not flappers; most of those 5,000,000 women who are going to vote are hard workers. They went into factories during the World War. They are still at work and now they are going to have their rightful vote.

The first election in the United Kingdom to allow women over 21 to vote was often called the Flapper Election .

El Daiquiri @ El Floridita

Despite the passing of the Volstead Act of 1919, at least a few new drink words sneaked into English. Bubbly , slang for champagne, is from 1920 . It comes from the earlier bubbly water , which now refers to water that’s carbonated. The sidecar , “a cocktail combining brandy, an orange-flavored liqueur, and lemon juice,” came about in 1928, says the OED.

Daiquiri , a cocktail of “rum, lime or lemon juice, and sugar,” is first attested to Fitzgerald in This Side of Paradise : “Here’s the old jitney waiter. If you ask me, I want a double Daiquiri.” Daiquiri is also the name of a beach in Cuba , and was supposedly invented by an American mining engineer who was there during the Spanish-American War.

To discourage illegal drinking, in 1924 a national contest was held “to coin a word to characterize a person who drinks illegally.” Two contestants simultaneously entered scofflaw , a combination of scoff and law . Now scofflaw also refers to “one who habitually violates the law or fails to answer court summonses.”

Continued demand for alcohol and lack of legal supply led to supply by criminal means. Although the term speakeasy had been around since the late 19th century, it gained wide usage during the Prohibition. (For more on speakeasy language, check out this post from the OxfordWords blog.) The mob , referring to organized crime, originated in 1927 . The fuzz , slang for the police, is from 1929, while cop a plea is from 1925 .

In terms of harder stuff , weed became slang for marijuana in the 1920s , perhaps as a shortening of locoweed . From a 1924 article :

“Marihuana,” or “Marijuana” as some spell it, the everyday “loco weed” that formerly grew wild on the deserts of northern Mexico, now is being cultivated on thousands of acres in that country for sale to addicts of the plant in this country.

Other 1920s terms for marijuana are Mary Jane ( 1928 ) and muggle ( 1926 ). The term junkie is from 1923 , and wingding , now known as a lively party or celebration, originated in 1927, says the OED, as “a fit or spasm, esp. as simulated by a drug addict.”

Crash meaning “to join or enter. . .without invitation” originated around 1922 . The financial meaning of a “sudden severe downturn” is older, from 1817 , but gained resurgence with the Wall Street crash of 1929, which marked the end of a prosperous and seemingly carefree time.

[Photo, “Zez Confrey Car,” CC BY 2.0 by Infrogmation ] [Photo: “Clara Bow,” CC BY 2.0 by Classic Film Scans ] [Photo: “Saturday Evening Post,” Public Domain ] [Photo: “El Daiquiri @ El Floridita,” CC BY 2.0 by kudumomo ]

59 Quick Slang Phrases From The 1920s We Should Start Using Again

Get ready to “know your onions,” readers. If you’ve ever wanted to talk like characters from an old movie or the folks from The Great Gatsby , now’s your chance. For the twenties lovers among us, here are 59 of the era’s best slang phrases. Now you just have to practice talking really, really fast so you can say this old slang.

1. Ankle : to walk

2. “Applesauce!” : “Horsefeathers!”

3. “Bank’s closed!” : what you tell someone to stop making out

4. Bearcat : a lively, spirited woman, possibly with a fiery streak

5. Berries : like “bee’s knees,” denotes that something is good, desirable or pleasing. “That sounds like berries to me!”

6. Bimbo : refers to a macho man

7. Bluenose : term for a prude or individual deemed to be a killjoy

8. Bubs : a woman’s boobs

9. “Bushwa!” : “Bullshit!”

10. “Butt me!” : “I would like a cigarette.”

11. Cancelled stamp : a shy, lonely female, the type one would describe as a “wallflower”

12. Cash : a smooch

13. Cake-eater : in the 1920’s refers to a “ladies’ man”; later, slang for homosexual

14. Cheaters : Glasses or bifocals

15. Choice bit of calico : a desirable woman

16. Darb : something deemed wonderful or splendid, similar to “berries”

17. Dewdropper : like lollygagger, a slacker who sits around all day and does nothing, often unemployed

18. “Don’t take any wooden nickels!” : “Don’t do anything dumb!”

19. Dumb Dora : an unintelligent woman

20. Egg : a person who leads an absurdly wealthy, extravagant lifestyle (see: Gatsby’s “West Egg”)

21. Four-flusher : someone who mooches off the money of others in order to feign wealth

22. Gasper : cigarette, “fag” (also of the 1920s)

23. Giggle water : liquor, alcoholic beverage

24. “Go chase yourself!” : “Get out of here!”

25. Handcuff : engagement ring

26. Half-seas over : shitfaced

27. Hayburner : a car with poor gas-mileage, a guzzler

28. Hotsy-totsy : attractive, pleasing to the eye

29. Icy mitt : rejection from the object of one’s affection, as in: “He got the icy mitt.”

30. Iron one’s shoelaces : to excuse oneself for the restroom

31. Jake : okay, fine, as in “Don’t worry, everything’s jake.”

32. Jorum of skee : a swig of alcohol, particularly hard liquor

33. Know your onions : to know what’s up or what’s going on

34. “Let’s blouse!” : “Let’s blow this popsicle stand!”

35. Manacle : Wedding ring

36. Mazuma : Dollar bills, cash, money

37. Mrs. Grundy : an uptight or very straight-laced individual

38. Noodle juice : tea.

39. “Now you’re on the trolley!” : “Now you’ve gotten it right!”

40. Oliver Twist : an extremely good dancer.

41. On a toot : on a bender

42. Ossified : drunk

43. Quilt : an alcoholic beverage that keeps you warm

44. Panther piss : whiskey, particularly homemade whiskey

45. Petting pantry : a cinema or movie theatre

46. “Phonus balonus!” : “That’s nonsense!” or “That’s horseshit!”

47. Pull a Daniel Boone : to upchuck

48. Reuben : a hick or redneck

49. Rub : a dance party for college or high school students

50. Sheba – someone’s girlfriend; or a sexually desirable woman

51. Sinker : a doughnut

52. Sockdollager : an event or action of great importance

53. Spifflicated : inebriated

54. “Tell it to Sweeney!” : what you say when you believe something to be untrue; “Tell it to someone who would buy that!”

55. Tomato : a woman

56. Upstage : arrogant, snobby

57. Whoopee : to have a good time, “make whoopee”

58. Wurp : wet blanket or person seen as a buzzkill (see: Debbie Downer)

Read more Reference .

About the author

Author of the memoir “The Young People Who Traverse Dimensions While Wearing Sunglasses” .

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Roaring Twenties Slang

The Roaring Twenties is featured heavily in my earlier works. Since some of my characters carry on through to modern times, the unique language indicative of this period follows along as well.

To help new readers situation themselves with the language of the period, I’ve compiled a list of slang from that era.

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 X

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Our favorite bits of 1920s slang

Beyond the bee's knees, phrases like French kiss, blind date, sexpert, and backseat driver were all coined in the roaring '20s

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No doubt: The 1920s were the bee's knees . But the ads banking on the latest film adaptation of The Great Gatsby would have you believe the Jazz Age was all about flappers, fashion, and parties. It was more than that.

After World War I , Americans had more money to spend . That combined with "low prices... and generous credit made cars affordable luxuries" in the early 1920s ; by the end of the decade, "they were practically necessities."

With " a car in every backyard ," automobile-related language entered the everyday lexicon. There was step on it , as in "step on the gas" or hurry up, in 1923 ; jalopy in 1924 ; and in 1927, back-seat driver , "a passenger who constantly advises, corrects, or nags the driver of a motor vehicle," and by extension, "a person who persists in giving unsolicited advice." (This 1929 article lauded Mrs. Charles Lindbergh for keeping her mouth shut as her husband flew and being "no 'back seat' driver.")

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Americans were also going to the movies more. By the end of the decade, "three-quarters of the American population visited a movie theater every week," says History.com . Hollywood , a district of Los Angeles, came to refer to the U.S. film industry in general around 1926 , three years after the Hollywood sign was erected.

Synonyms for the movies arose, including flick ( 1926 ) and the silver screen ( 1924 ). In 1921 , Chaplinesque entered the vernacular, and in 1927, Valentino , named after movie heartthrob Rudolph Valentino, came to mean a "good-looking romantic man."

Also in 1927, it meaning "sex appeal," while originally coined by Rudyard Kipling , was popularized by Elinor Glyn in her novel, It , and the film of the same name. Clara Bow, the star of the movie, became known as the It Girl , which now refers to any fashionable young female celebrity with a certain something.

The post- Victorian age also saw a change in " manners and mores ," with raised hemlines ("all of nine inches above the ground"), petting parties (more on that later), and wider acceptance of contraception . Along with that came new words about sex and relationships.

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Blind date , a date with someone one hasn't seen before, originated as college slang around 1921, says the Online Etymology Dictionary . The earliest attested use referred to the person one was going on the date with.

While we're sure the French kiss existed before the 1920s, the earliest citation in English is from around 1923 , with the idea of equating French culture with "sexual sophistication."

Sexpert , a sex therapist or expert in sex, is attested to 1924 . Sugar daddy , a rich older man who lavishes gifts on a younger woman, came about in 1926 ; gigolo , a male prostitute, is from 1922 ; and tomcat , to pursue multiple women, is from 1927, says the OED. To two-time , or cheat on a lover, is from 1924 . The earlier non-romantic notion of to deceive or double-cross is from 1922.

Now how about those petting parties? The earliest citation goes to F. Scott Fitzgerald in his debut novel, This Side of Paradise , published in 1920: "That great current American phenomenon, the 'petting party.'" ( Petting , in case you were unclear, refers to the "practice of amorously embracing, kissing, and caressing one's partner.") However, not everyone was such a fan of this 1920s version of PDA , such as one Fay King in a 1923 article :

But when this love stuff becomes a dull, deadly determined battle of the eyes, and a kiss is a long drawn out disgusting episode, it's time somebody blew a whistle or rang a bell to remind these love birds that public petting parties are not permitted.

The term sleep around originated around 1928, says the OED, with the earliest recorded mention by Aldous Huxley : "'Sleeping around'—that was how he had heard a young American girl describe the amorous side of the ideal life, as lived in Hollywood."

Who were these young girls? We know them as flappers . The term flapper originated around 1921 , but where it came from is uncertain. A possibility is flapper meaning "a young bird when first trying its wings," or the 17th century flap meaning "young woman of loose character."

While we might think of the flapper as a sexually free "young woman with bobbed hair and short skirts who drank, smoked and said what might be termed 'unladylike' things," the term flapper became "the popular press catch-word for an adult woman worker, aged twenty-one to thirty."

In 1926 , a train which conveyed "only female workers to London each morning" was dubbed "the flapper special." From a 1927 article about giving women over 21 in the United Kingdom the right to vote : "The expression 'flapper vote' has been used by those who strongly denounced the plan to extend the vote to women between the ages of twenty and thirty." Lady Astor , "American born pioneer woman member of the House of Commons," responded:

They are not flappers; most of those 5,000,000 women who are going to vote are hard workers. They went into factories during the World War. They are still at work and now they are going to have their rightful vote.

The first election in the United Kingdom to allow women over 21 to vote was often called the Flapper Election .

Despite the passing of the Volstead Act of 1919, at least a few new drink words sneaked into English. Bubbly , slang for champagne, is from 1920 . It comes from the earlier bubbly water , which now refers to water that's carbonated. The sidecar , "a cocktail combining brandy, an orange-flavored liqueur, and lemon juice," came about in 1928, says the OED.

Daiquiri , a cocktail of "rum, lime or lemon juice, and sugar," is first attested to Fitzgerald in This Side of Paradise : "Here's the old jitney waiter. If you ask me, I want a double Daiquiri." Daiquiri is also the name of a beach in Cuba , and was supposedly invented by an American mining engineer who was there during the Spanish-American War.

To discourage illegal drinking, in 1924 a national contest was held "to coin a word to characterize a person who drinks illegally." Two contestants simultaneously entered scofflaw , a combination of scoff and law . Now scofflaw also refers to "one who habitually violates the law or fails to answer court summonses."

Continued demand for alcohol and lack of legal supply led to supply by criminal means. Although the term speakeasy had been around since the late 19th century, it gained wide usage during the Prohibition. (For more on speakeasy language, check out this post from the OxfordWords blog.) The mob , referring to organized crime, originated in 1927 . The fuzz , slang for the police, is from 1929, while cop a plea is from 1925 .

In terms of harder stuff , weed became slang for marijuana in the 1920s , perhaps as a shortening of locoweed . From a 1924 article :

"Marihuana," or "Marijuana" as some spell it, the everyday "loco weed" that formerly grew wild on the deserts of northern Mexico, now is being cultivated on thousands of acres in that country for sale to addicts of the plant in this country.

Other 1920s terms for marijuana are Mary Jane ( 1928 ) and muggle ( 1926 ). The term junkie is from 1923 , and wingding , now known as a lively party or celebration, originated in 1927, says the OED, as "a fit or spasm, esp. as simulated by a drug addict."

Crash meaning "to join or enter... without invitation" originated around 1922 . The financial meaning of a "sudden severe downturn" is older, from 1817 , but gained resurgence with the Wall Street crash of 1929, which marked the end of a prosperous and seemingly carefree time.

More from Wordnik...

* A short history of Shakespearean insults

* A guide to thief slang

* The words of Rudyard Kipling

Angela Tung's essays on language and culture have appeared at Mental Floss , Quartz , Salon , The Week , The Weeklings , and Wordnik . Her personal essays have appeared at The Frisky , The Huffington Post , and elsewhere.

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English Slang Terms and Phrases of the 1920s

Let's turn back in time and slip into the Jazz Age of the 1920s, relive the era by getting zozzled on some jag juice - it will be the bee's knees! Don't have a clue about what we're saying? This Penlighten article is a comprehensive compilation of the most popular 1920s' slang.

Let’s turn back in time and slip into the Jazz Age of the 1920s, relive the era by getting zozzled on some jag juice – it will be the bee’s knees! Don’t have a clue about what we’re saying? This Penlighten article is a comprehensive compilation of the most popular 1920s’ slang.

boot·leg (noun) alcoholic liquor unlawfully made, sold, or transported, without registration or payment of taxes. Origin American English slang, from the trick of concealing something (originally a flask of liquor) down the leg of a high boot.

Not for nothing were they called the Roaring Twenties, as is evident from the cool slang the people used back then. We’ve listed some of the very best twenties slang in this Penlighten article―it’s a little amusing to read, but it can get offensive in no time. But then, such was the Jazz Era, and the societal norms bore heavily into the mannerisms and vernacular of the time. So, just sit back and enjoy.

List of American Slang Words and Phrases

A – d, e – h, i – l, m – q, r – t, u – z.

Prohibition’s Contribution to 1920s’ Slang

As the most coveted and covertly traded item of the twenties, alcohol had quite a few names. Some of these are straightforward, while others are downright funny. Take a look:

• Corn (Bourbon/Corn liquor)
• Giggle juice
• Busthead (Homemade liquor)
• Coffin varnish (Bootleg liquor, often poisonous)
• Strike-me-dead
• White lightning
• Giggle Water
• Panther piss/sweat

So this was just a peek into the lingo of the smooth talkers of the twenties. Mind you, most of these words can even make their way into our vocabulary, and still not sound dated. Way to go, Roaring Twenties!

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31 1920s Slang Words for the Roaring 2020s

We sure know our onions!

The English language might follow strict rules, but that isn't to say that the dialects from every decade sound the same, too. Rather, each period in time has its subset of terms that are reflect the goings-on—which might be why 1920s slang is so unique. The second decade of the 20th century was a period of significant social and political change and economic growth, and this is reflected in terms like glad rags, kale, and alarm clock. Not sure what these words and phrases meant way back when? Read on to learn some of the coolest and craziest 1920s slang from the Roaring Twenties.

RELATED:  50 Vintage Slang Words That Sound Hilarious Today .

Common 1920s Slang Words and Meanings

1. Glad Rags

When we think of the 1920s, we conjure images of  The Great Gatsby , flappers, upbeat music, (illegal) champagne, and a lively party. At the time, there was nothing better to wear to a gathering in West or East Egg than your "glad rags," also known as your " going out on the town " fancy clothes, per the University of Oregon.

Nowadays, people simply ask for a cigarette when they want to smoke. However, in the 1920s, the go-to phrase when asking for a cigarette was "butt me."

3. Chewing Gum

Chewing gum is something you hear quite often in the world of politics. Basically, it's all that double-speak coming out of representatives' mouths that means nothing. According to Green's Dictionary of Slang , it can also be used to describe "empty, meaningless chatter."

For some reason, people in the 1920s needed a word to refer to a half-smoked cigarette or cigar—and according to Green's Dictionary, that word was a " dinch " or "dincher."

5. Cheaters

In the '20s, cheaters weren't just adulterous individuals, they were also something much more innocent: a pair of spectacles. The word cheaters came to be associated with eyeglasses as, according to Green's Dictionary, glasses "help the eyes … cheat their own inadequacies."

Ever heard a compliment about someone's "gams"? If you have, you should know this is a slang term for legs.

While it's often used in a positive way, according to Green's Dictionary, " gambs " was once a term for sore or ill-shaped legs. The term is a corruption of the French word for leg: "jambes."

Just before the Disney character of the same name was created, this word was used as an adjective to mean "obsessed" and "in love" or, in other instances, "crazy" and "foolish." In the 1920s, there was even a song written about putt-putt called " I've Gone Goofy Over Miniature Golf ."

RELATED:  54 Cool Words to Liven Up Your Vocabulary .

8. To Know One's Onions

To know your onions is slang that's applied to a knowledgeable person, specifically someone who is well-versed in a certain subject. While it's popularly referred to as a piece of 1920s slang, it actually first appeared in a 1909 poem published in The Postal Record .

9. Let's Blouse

"Let's get moving!" "Let's blouse!" These are just a few of the 1920s slang phrases you can throw out there when you're ready to head out and get a move on.

A great example of this was used in an April 1922 issue of the  Ogden Standard Examiner , noted in Green's Dictionary: "There was one wally I was goofy about, but while I was necking with him, Harry caught a tomato, so he says, 'Let's blouse' and we left and crashed at the Plaza."

10. Handcuff

In the 1920s, everyone loved kale —but not for its nutritional value. Back then, the word was used synonymously with the word money.

12. Noodle Juice

In the morning, you may often brew yourself a nice cup of noodle juice. In the 1920s, this is the word that folks would use to refer to tea. It makes sense when you think about it, especially if you're familiar with the slang term " noodle ," which refers to the human head.

13. Tell It to Sweeney!

The popular 1920s phrase "Tell it to Sweeney!" is a slight variation on the older phrase "Tell it to the Marines!" Both are used to communicate disbelief in what someone is saying, encouraging them to tell someone who would believe them. The original phrase came to be in the early 1800s as British Royal Navy sailors used it to imply that their rivals, the Marines, were more gullible and less intelligent than them.

Evidently, the iteration that replaces Marines with Sweeney is a reference to the various nicknames that English folks had for the stereotypical Irishman , teacher and writer  Rob Kyff  told  The Hartford Courant in 2021. He pointed to the New Dictionary of American Slang , which says "Sweeney is one of a group of surely mythical Irishman, like Riley, Kelsey, and Kilroy, whose names are used apparently for some humorous effect."

RELATED:  20 Slang Terms Every 1960s Kid Will Remember .

1920s Slang Terms Associated With Booze and Drinking

14. Blind Tiger

Now a popular name for legitimate bars across the U.S., a blind tiger is also a legal term for "a place where liquor is sold illegally," or a speakeasy, according to Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute (LII). Naturally, this was a popular term during Prohibition—which spanned from 1920 to 1933—when alcohol was illegal in the U.S.

Before it was a term for an illicit bar or club, blind tiger, referred to a " form of hatch used by moonshiners," according to Green's Dictionary. To keep the buyer and seller of alcohol anonymous, money and an empty bottle would be put on one side of the hatch, with the money extracted and the bottle filled on the other side before being sent back through.

15. Juice Joint

Another term for a speakeasy was a "juice joint." However, Green's Dictionary points out that this also applied to establishments like soft drink stands .

16. Bathtub Gin

Under the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution the "manufacture, sale and transportation of intoxicating liquors" was prohibited by law—but not the consumption. Thanks to this loophole, many found ways to get their alcohol fix, with some even doing so in their own home, making " bathtub gin ," according to Ohio History Connection.

RELATED:  Old Slang Terms Kids Born After 2000 Will Never Understand .

Fun 1920s Slang Words for Friends

17. Big Cheese

In the 1920s, the " big cheese " would apply to an important person, according to the Liberty Science Center (LSC). It's who you'd probably refer to as the "head honcho," "the bossman," or "the big kahuna" in the 21st century.

18. Cat's Pajamas

The "cat's pajamas," also spelled as the " cat's pyjamas ," is another slang term used to tell someone they're exceptional or the best. The term was coined by American journalist and cartoonist  Thomas Aloysius Dorgan , who we can also thank for "cheaters"!

19. The Berries

In the 1920s, people would throw this phrase around as anything attractive or alluring—similar to more well-known slang phrases like "the cat's meow." Basically, anyone or anything that's the berries is the best.

RELATED:  This Is the Most Popular Slang Word the Year You Were Born .

Cool 1920s Slang Words for People and Places

20. Alarm Clock

An alarm clock is the last person you want around when you're trying to have a good time. Synonymous with another 1920s slang term, a fire extinguisher, this noun refers to a chaperone who's killing the party vibe.

21. Cake-Eater

Some men might be proud to be called a " cake-eater ." In the early 1900s, this adjective was used to describe someone like Hugh Hefner —in other words, a playboy or ladies' man. However, it can also have negative connotations, including self-indulgence.

Most people already know what a flapper is, but what about a dapper? According to an unofficial dictionary created in 1922, this piece of 1920s slang is what people would use to refer to a flapper's father . Seriously!

23. Father Time

While you may think of a wizened old man when you picture "Father Time," in the 1920s, it could've been applied to any man over 30 years of age. Thankfully, per Green's Dictionary, these older men are sometimes " still attractive ."

The definitions vary on what exactly a being a "tomato" entails—and whether it's an insult or a compliment. According to the University of Oregon, it simply applies to a female, but Cascade PBS notes that it's actually a woman who is all beauty with no brains .

You might be familiar with this slang term if you like to watch movies about heists and con artists. Per 1920s slang, a " mark " means to be a victim of a scam or game, or someone you may otherwise deem a fool or a "sucker," per the Smoky Hill Museum in Kansas.

RELATED:  The Amazing Origins of Everyday Slang Terms You Use Constantly .

26. Pushover

Similar to a "mark," a " pushover " is a person who's easily convinced and gullible.

Today, we'd consider a " sheik " a bit of a narcissist, as it's a slang term for a man with sex appeal who believes he's irresistible to women. The term was popularized by E.M. Hull's  1919 novel, The Sheik , and the 1921 film adaptation of the same name starring Rudolph Valentino .

28. Flat Tire

If you've ever had a flat tire, you know that it's not a particularly enjoyable experience—and neither was meeting one in the 1920s. A "flat tire" was used to describe someone boring, particularly in terms of a disappointing date.

29. Sugar Daddy

Believe it or not, the term "sugar daddy" dates back to the early 20th century. However, it still has the same general meaning, applied to an older man who provides material goods and experiences for a younger female or male companion.

According to the Cypress Lawn Heritage Museum, we have  Adolph Spreckels —son of " Sugar King " Claude Spreckels —to thank for this term. Young Adolph married outside his "monied" class when model Alma de Bretteville  caught his eye. Since Adolph was 24 years her senior, she dubbed him her "sugar daddy."

30. Bee's Knees

The bee's knees is yet another superlative, seemingly nonsensical term you'd apply to an extraordinary person in your life.

But as bees don't technically have knees, PBS points out that a human and dancer, Bee Jackson , may have inspired the slang term . Jackson is credited with introducing the Charleston dance step to audiences in 1924—later becoming the world champion.

"It is possible that the saying, 'the bee's knees' really caught on because of the dancer Bee Jackson and her champion knees, but no one really knows for sure," a video on PBS' website states.

31. Flapper

Rounding out this list is a term you're probably familiar with, the emblematic flapper. These younger women are representative of 1920s fashion and the decade as a whole with their signature short skirts, bob haircuts, and lipstick.

According to Green's Dictionary, there are many theories on the origin of the word "flapper," which dates back to the late 1800s. It may have been inspired by a " flapper ," meaning a wild duck or partridge that flaps its wings while trying to fly, or a "flap," meaning an unsteady young woman.

• Source: Constitution Annotated: Eighteenth Amendment

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Spiffy Slang Words and Phrases from the 1920s

Wouldn’t it be swell to travel back in time to the 1920s America? Maybe you could grill an ancestor and get them to sing (that means “talk” in 1920s lingo!). But be sure you know your onions! We can help you with that. Read ahead to learn some popular 1920s slang and sayings so you don’t sound like a sap.

When you’re finished learning 1920s slang, test your family friends on these slang words (and discover any fun family sayings!) and audio record their reactions !

Use the FamilySearch Memories App to Record Reactions

Doll: 1920s Slang for Woman

The term “doll” was used to describe a pretty young woman in the 1920s, but it had been a term used as early as the 1550s when it began as a shortened form of “Dorothy.”

Cool Cat: 1920s Slang for a Hip Man

My Uncle John was one cool cat! The American 1920s slang phrase “cool cat” likely got its origin in the Jazz community. The Jazz Age of the 1920s greatly influenced American slang with other words and phrases such as an “ Oliver Twist .” An Oliver Twist was an extremely good dancer that could really cut a rug (hey look, more 1920s lingo!).

Cutting a rug derives its meaning from when couples would dance the jitterbug. When the dance was performed in one area for a long period of time, it would make the carpet appear as though it was cut, hence the 1920s slang cut a rug.

Bathtub Gin: 1920s Lingo for Homemade Liquor

The American prohibition lasted throughout the 1920s, making people a little more creative in making and distributing liquor. That’s where terms like bathtub gin, speakeasies, and bootleggers became popular 1920s terms.

Bathtub gin was slang for homemade liquor that could be made in the bathtub. Bootleggers, the transporters of the alcohol, would stock the illegal establishments, called speakeasies, with all sorts of homemade drinks, including this famous bathtub gin.

A speakeasy, also sometimes called a blind pig or blind tiger, was a place to sell illegal alcoholic beverages. In the U.S., the term speakeasy emerged in the 1880s. These illegal places of business were called speakeasies because people would need to speak quietly about such a place so that authorities wouldn’t be tipped off.

Other similar phrases were the cat’s meow, the cat’s whiskers, the tiger’s spots, and the elephant’s adenoids! These silly animal pairings seem to have been quite popular in 1920s slang.

Gold Digger: 1920s Lingo for a Woman Who Marries a Man for His Money

Gold-digger is the perfect example of an idiom, which is a group of words that has a figurative meaning instead of a literal one. The 1920s slang phrase “gold digger” was made popular by the 1929 Broadway show titled The Gold Diggers of Broadway in which three chorus girls seek rich husbands.

Gams and Dogs: 1920s Slang for Legs and Feet

“Will you look at the gams on that doll,” said Howard to Dean. Howard was obviously referring to a woman’s nice-looking legs! But, where in the world did that 1920s saying come from? There are two lines of thought about the origin of the word “gams” referring to legs. One traces it to the Italian word “gamba,” meaning leg. Another theory believes the word comes from “gamb,” meaning the representation of a leg on a coat of arms.

Speaking of legs, are your dogs barking ? Maybe after a hard day at work on the factory floor? “Dogs” was a 1920s slang word for feet. When people said their dogs were barking, they were referring to the fact that their feet were hurting. This 1920s phrase actually appeared in print in 1913 when a journalist for the New York Evening, T. A. Dorgan, used the term “dog” to represent his foot. He was well known for his rhyming slang, and this little diddy stuck.

The Bee’s Knees: 1920s Saying for Outstanding

This funny phrase was actually first recorded in the 1700s. It was used to refer to something small and insignificant. But by the 1920s, the bee’s knees referred to something thought to be outstanding!

1920s Slang Challenge

Now that you are the Big Cheese with 1920s slang and lingo, don’t lollygag around all day. Challenge your family—especially your parents and grandparents—to see if they recognize any of these phrases or have any fun family sayings of their own.

To participate in the challenge, download the FamilySearch Memories app, for iOS or Android , and sign in to your FamilySearch account (or create a free account if you don’t have one). Once in the Memories app, click the microphone icon , and then click the plus icon in the bottom right corner to record audio. When you’re finished recording, don’t forget to tag the memory under “1920s Slang.”

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442 1920s Slang Words And Phrases That Are The Cat's Pajamas

A blast from the past.

When someone mentions “ the ‘20s ” you probably think of flappers, speakeasies, and The Great Gatsby . And that’s all totally valid… but also, it’s the ‘20s again right now. Fun , right? Did you know the youth culture of today found its footing in this decade of progress and excess? Drinking alcohol was outlawed, sexuality was no longer hidden, and an artistic and cultural movement changed society forever.

The Roaring Twenties, or the Jazz Age as it’s also known, saw the first signs of the “liberated woman,” leading to the birth of the “flapper.” The flapper was outspoken, she had the right to vote, she was fun-loving, and demanded sexual freedom. She was not her mother or grandmother’s old-fashioned woman. Her fashion was glamorous and risky, she smoked, she went dancing, and some even made their own money. No wonder we are still fascinated by them 100 years later.

The 1920s also saw the birth of the Harlem Renaissance, a watershed moment that celebrated Black cultural voices in music, art, theater, literature, and more. Icons such as Langston Hughs, Zora Neal Hurston, and Louis Armstrong changed the American cultural conversation forever. We feel the impact of their work to this day.

Another important fact about the 1920s to keep in mind: As Prohibition forced the bar and club scene into hiding, the speakeasy was born and became a part of our vernacular. Faced with constant raids from law enforcement, pop culture and slang changed to include many words to describe and alert others about cops.

As we go roaring into this decade, let’s take a look back at how people spoke 100 years ago. Here are more than 400 swell 1920s slang words and phrases (and their meanings) that are the cat’s pajamas and the bee’s knees.

Best 1920s Slang

• Alderman: A man’s pot-belly.
• Ameche: Telephone.
• Ankle: (n) Woman; (v) To walk.
• Applesauce: Nonsense.
• Babe: Woman.
• Baby : A person, can be said to either a man or a woman.
• Baloney: Nonsense, something not to be believed.
• Be on the nut: To be broke .
• Bean-shooter: Gun.
• Beef: Problem.
• Bee’s knees: An extraordinary person, thing, or idea.
• Beezer: Nose.
• Behind the eight ball: In a difficult position, in a tight spot.
• Bent cars: Stolen cars.
• Berries: Anything wonderful; similar to bee’s knees.
• Big cheese, Big shot: The boss — someone of importance and influence.
• Big house: Jail.
• Big one: Death.
• Big sleep: Death.
• Bim: Woman.
• Bing: Jailhouse talk for solitary confinement .
• Bit: Prison sentence.
• Blip off: To kill.
• Blow: Leave.
• Blow one down: Kill someone.
• Blower: Telephone.
• Bluenose: A prude.
• Bo: Pal, buster, fellow.
• Boiler: Car.
• Bop: To kill.
• Box: A safe or a bar .
• Box job: A safecracking.
• Brace (somebody): Grab, shake up.
• Bracelets: Handcuffs.
• Breeze: To leave, breeze off; get lost.
• Broad: Woman.
• Bruno: Tough guy, enforcer.
• Bucket: Car.
• Bulge: The advantage.
• Bull session: An informal group chat or discussion.
• Bulls: Plainclothes railroad cops; uniformed police ; prison guards.
• Bum’s rush/to get the: To be kicked out.
• Bump: Kill.
• Bump gums: To talk about nothing worthwhile.
• Bump off: Kill; also, bump-off; a killing.
• Bunk: Nonsense.
• Burn powder: Fire a gun.
• Bus: Big car .
• Butter and egg man: The money man, the man with the bankroll, a yokel who comes to town to blow a big wad in nightclubs.
• Button: Face, nose, end of jaw.
• Buttons: Police.
• Butts: Cigarettes.
• Buzz: Looks person up, comes to person’s door.
• Buzzer: Policeman’s badge.
• C: $100, a pair of Cs = $200.
• Cabbage: Money.
• Caboose: Jail.
• Cake-eater: A ladies’ man.
• Call copper: Inform the police.
• Can: Jail, car.
• Can house: Bordello.
• Can-opener : Safecracker who opens cheap safes.
• Canary: Woman singer.
• Carry a torch: Suffering from unrequited love .
• Case dough: Nest egg .
• Cat’s meow: Something splendid or stylish.
• Cat’s pajamas: Term of endearment, as in “I think you are really really cool.”
• Century: $100.
• Cheaters: Sunglasses.
• Cheese it: Put things away, hide.
• Chicago lightning: Gunfire.
• Chicago overcoat: Coffin.
• Chick: Woman.
• Chilled off: Killed.
• Chin: Conversation; chinning, talking.
• Chin music: Punch on the jaw.
• Chippy: Woman of easy virtue.
• Chisel: To swindle or cheat.
• Chiv: Knife, “a stabbing or cutting weapon.”
• Chopper squad: Men with machine guns.
• Chump: Person marked for a con or a gullible person.
• Clammed: Close-mouthed (clammed up).
• Clean sneak: An escape with no clues left behind.
• Clip joint: In some cases, a nightclub where the prices are high and the patrons are fleeced.
• Clipped: Shot.
• Close your head: Shut up.
• Clout: Shoplifter.
• Clubhouse: Police station.
• Con: Confidence game, swindle.
• Conk: Head.
• Cool: To knock out.
• Cooler: Jail.
• Copacetic: All good, as it should be.
• Copped/ to be: Grabbed by the cops.
• Copper: Policeman.
• Corn: Bourbon (“corn liquor”).
• Crab: Figure out.
• Crate: Car.
• Croak: To kill.
• Croaker: Doctor.
• Crush: An infatuation.
• Crushed out: Escaped (from jail).
• Cut down: Killed.
• Daisy: None too masculine.
• Dame: Woman.
• Dance: To be hanged.
• Dangle: Leave, get lost.
• Darb: An excellent person or thing.
• Daylight (as in “fill him with daylight”): Put a hole in, by shooting or stabbing.
• Deck (as in “deck of Luckies”): Pack of cigarettes.
• Derrick: Shoplifter.
• Dib: Share of the proceeds.
• Dick: Detective, usually qualified with “private” if not a policeman.
• Dingus: Thing.
• Dip: Pickpocket.
• Dip the bill: Have a drink.
• Dish: Pretty woman.
• Dive: A low-down, cheap sort of place.
• Dizzy with a dame/to be: To be deeply in love with a woman.
• Do the dance: To be hanged.
• Dogs: Feet.
• Dope fiend: Drug addict.
• Dope peddler: Drug dealer.
• Dough: Money.
• Drift: Go, leave.
• Drill: Shoot.
• Drop a dime: Make a phone call, sometimes meaning to the police to inform on someone.
• Droppers: Hired killers.
• Drugstore cowboy: A fashionably dressed loiterer who hands around public places trying to pick up girls.
• Drum: Speakeasy.
• Dry-gulch: Knock out, hit on the head after ambushing.
• Duck soup: Easy, a piece of cake .
• Dumb Dora: A silly or stupid girl.
• Dummerer: Someone who pretends to be deaf and/or dumb to appear a more deserving beggar.
• Dump: Roadhouse, club; or more generally, any place.
• Dust out: Leave, depart.
• Electric cure: Electrocution.
• Elephant ears : Police.
• Fade: Go away, get lost.
• Fakeloo artist: Con man.
• Fella: A man.
• Fin: $5 bill.
• Finder: Finger man.
• Finger/put the finger on: Identify.
• Flaming youth: Male counterpart to a flapper.
• Flapper: A stylish, brash young woman with short skirts and shorter hair.
• Flat Tire: A dull-witted or disappointing date.
• Flattie: Flatfoot, cop.
• Flimflam: Swindle.
• Flippers: Hands.
• Flivver: A Ford automobile.
• Flogger: Overcoat.
• Flop: Go to bed or fallen through, not worked out.
• Flophouse: A cheap transient hotel where a lot of men sleep in large rooms.
• Fog: To shoot.
• Frail: Woman.
• Frau: Wife.
• Fry: To be electrocuted.
• Fuzz: Police.
• Gal: Woman.
• Gams: A woman’s legs.
• Gasper: Cigarette.
• Get sore: Get mad.
• Getaway sticks: Legs.
• Giggle juice: Liquor.
• Giggle water: Liquor.
• Gin mill: Bar.
• Glad rags: Fancy clothes.
• Glaum: Steal.
• Goofy: Crazy.
• Goog: Black eye.
• Goon: Thug.
• Gooseberry lay: Stealing clothes from a clothesline.
• Gowed-up: On dope, high.
• Grab (a little) air: Put your hands up.
• Graft: Con jobs or cut of the take.
• Grand: $1000.
• Grift: Confidence game , swindle.
• Grifter: Con man.
• Grilled: Questioned.
• Gumshoe: Detective.
• Gumshoeing: Detective work.
• Gun for: Look for, be after,
• Guns: Pickpockets, hoodlums.
• Guy: A man.
• Hack: Taxi.
• Half: 50 cents.
• Hard: Tough.
• Hard-boiled: Tough; without feeling or sentiment.
• Harlem sunset: Some sort of fatal injury caused by a knife.
• Hash house: A cheap restaurant.
• Hatchet men: Killers, gunmen.
• Have the bees: To be rich.
• Head doctors: Psychiatrists.
• Heat: Police.
• Heater: Gun.
• Heebie-jeebies: The jitters.
• Heeled: Carrying a gun.
• High-hat: To snub.
• High pillow: Person at the top, in charge.
• Highbinders: Corrupt politician or functionary.
• Hinky: Suspicious.
• Hitting the pipe: Smoking opium.
• Hitting on all eight: In good shape, going well.
• Hock shop: Pawnshop.
• Hogs: Engines.
• Hokum: Nonsense; something not to be believed.
• Hombre: Man, fellow.
• Hooch: Liquor.
• Hood: Criminal.
• Hoofer: Dancer.
• Hoosegow: Jail.
• Horn: Telephone.
• Horsefeathers: Nonsense; something not to be believed.
• Hot: Stolen.
• Hotsy-totsy: Pleasing.
• House dick: House/hotel detective.
• House peeper: House/hotel detective.
• Hype: Shortchange artist.
• Ice: Diamonds.
• Ing-bing (as in to throw an): A fit.
• Iron: A car.
• Jack: Money.
• Jalopy: An old car.
• Jam: Trouble, a tight spot.
• Jane: A woman.
• Java: Coffee.
• Jerking a nod: Nodding.
• Jingle-brained: Addled.
• Jobbie: Man.
• Joe: Coffee, as in “a cup of joe.”
• Johns: Police.
• Johnson brother: Criminal.
• Joint: Place, as in “my joint.”
• Juice: Interest on a loanshark’s loan.
• Jump (the): A hanging.
• Kale: Money.
• Keen: Attractive or appealing.
• Kick off: Die.
• Kiss: To punch.
• Kisser: Mouth.
• Kitten: Woman.
• Knock off: Kill.
• Lammed off: Ran away, escaped.
• Large: $1,000; twenty large would be $20,000.
• Law (the): The police.
• Lead (“fill ya full of lead”): The term used for bullets.
• Lead poisoning: To be shot.
• Lettuce: Folding money.
• Line: Insincere flattery.
• Lip: (Criminal) lawyer.
• Looker: Pretty woman.
• Look-out: Outside man.
• Lounge lizard: A ladies’ man.
• Lousy with: To have lots of.
• Mac: A man.
• Made: Recognized.
• Main drag: The most important street in a town or city.
• Marbles: Pearls.
• Mark: Sucker; victim of swindle or fixed game.
• Maroon: Person marked for a con or a gullible person.
• Meat wagon: Ambulance.
• Mickey Finn: A drink drugged with knock-out drops.
• Mill: Typewriter.
• Mitt: Hand.
• Mob: Gang (not necessarily Mafia).
• Mohaska: Gun.
• Moll: Girlfriend.
• Moniker: Name.
• Mouthpiece: Lawyer.
• Mugs: Men (especially refers to dumb ones).
• Nailed: Caught by the police.
• Neck: To snuggle, kiss, or caress intimately.
• Nevada gas: Cyanide.
• Newshawk: Reporter.
• Newsie: Newspaper vendor.
• Nibble one: To have a drink.
• Nicked: Stole.
• Nippers: Handcuffs.
• Noodle: Head.
• Number: A person.
• Off the track: Said about a person who becomes insanely violent.
• Op: Detective.
• Orphan paper: Bad checks.
• Out on the roof: To drink a lot, to be drunk.
• Oyster fruit: Pearls.
• Packing heat: Carrying a gun.
• Pal: A man.
• Palooka: Man, probably not very smart.
• Paste: Punch.
• Patsy: Person who is set up; fool, chump.
• Peaching: Informing.
• Peeper: Detective.
• Peepers: Eyes.
• Pen: Penitentiary, jail.
• Peterman: Safecracker who uses nitroglycerin.
• Piece: Gun.
• Pigeon: Stool-pigeon.
• Pinch: An arrest, capture.
• Pins: Legs.
• Pipe: See or notice.
• Pipes: Throat.
• Plant: Someone on the scene but in hiding, bury.
• Plug: Shoot.
• Plugs: People.
• Poke: Bankroll, stake.
• Pooped: Killed.
• Pro skirt: Prostitute.
• Puffing: Mugging.
• Pug: Pugilist, boxer.
• Pump: Heart.
• Pump metal: Shoot bullets.
• Punk: Hood, jerk.
• Pushover: A person easily convinced of something.
• Puss: Face.
• Put down: Drink.
• Put the screws on: Question, get tough with.
• Rags: Clothes.
• Ranked: Observed, watched, given the once-over.
• Rap: Criminal charge.
• Rappers: Fakes, set-ups.
• Rat: Inform.
• Rate: To be good, to count for something.
• Rats and mice: Dice, i.e. craps.
• Rattler: Train.
• Red-light: To eject from a car or a train .
• Redhot: Some sort of criminal.
• Reefers: Marijuana cigarettes.
• Rhino: Money.
• Right: Adjective indicating quality.
• Ringers: Fakes.
• Ritzy: Elegant.
• Roscoe: Gun.
• Rub-out: A killing.
• Rube: Bumpkin, easy mark.
• Rumble (the): The news.
• Sap: A dumb guy.
• Sap poison: Getting hit with a sap.
• Savvy: “Get me? Understand?”
• Sawbuck: $10 bill (a double sawbuck is a $20 bill).
• Schnozzle: Nose.
• Scram out: Leave.
• Scratch: Money.
• Scratcher: Forger.
• Screwy: Crazy; eccentric.
• Send over: Send to jail.
• Shamus: (Private) detective.
• Sharper: A swindler or sneaky person.
• Sheba: A woman with sex appeal .
• Sheik: A man with sex appeal.
• Shells: Bullets.
• Shiv: Knife.
• Shylock: Loanshark.
• Shyster: Lawyer.
• Sing: Make a confession.
• Sister: Woman.
• Skate around: To be of easy virtue.
• Skid rogue: A bum who can’t be trusted.
• Skirt: Woman.
• Slant (get a): Take a look.
• Sleuth: Detective.
• Smeller: The nose.
• Slug: A bullet or to knock unconscious.
• Smoked: Drunk.
• Snap a cap: Shout.
• Snatch: Kidnap.
• Sneeze: Take.
• Snitch: An informer, or to inform.
• Snooper: Detective.
• Speakeasy: An illicit bar selling bootleg liquor.
• Spiffy: Looking elegant.
• Soak: To pawn.
• Sock: Punch.
• Soup: Nitroglycerine.
• Soup job: To crack a safe using nitroglycerine.
• Spill: Talk, inform.
• Spinach: Money.
• Spitting: Talking.
• Square: Honest.
• Squeeze: A female companion or a girlfriend .
• Squirt metal: Shoot bullets.
• Step off: To be hanged.
• Stiff: A corpse.
• Sting: Culmination of a con game.
• Stool-pigeon: Informer.
• Stoolie: Stool-pigeon.
• Stuck on: Having a crush on.
• Sucker: Someone ripe for a grifter’s scam.
• Sugar: Money.
• Swanky: Ritzy.
• Swell: Wonderful.
• Tail: Shadow or follow.
• Take a powder: Leave.
• Take on: Eat,
• Take for a ride: Drive off with someone in order to bump them off.
• Take the air: Leave.
• Take the bounce: To get kicked out.
• Take the fall for: Accept punishment for.
• That’s the crop: That’s all of it.
• Three-spot: Three-year jail term.
• Throw lead: Shoot bullets.
• Ticket: P.I. license.
• Tiger milk: Some sort of liquor.
• Tighten the screws: Put pressure on somebody.
• Tin: Badge.
• Tip a few: To have a few drinks.
• Tomato: Pretty woman.
• Tooting the wrong ringer: Asking the wrong person.
• Torpedoes: Gunmen.
• Trap: Mouth.
• Trigger man: Man whose job is to use a gun.
• Trouble boys: Gangsters.
• Twist: Woman.
• Two bits: $25, or 25 cents.
• Under glass: In jail.
• Weak sister: A push-over.
• Wear iron: Carry a gun.
• Whoopee: Boisterous, convivial fun, sometimes referring to fun had with a romantic partner.
• Wise head: A smart person.
• Wooden kimono: A coffin.
• Worker (as in “She sizes up as a worker”): A woman who takes a guy for his money.
• Wrong gee: Not a good fellow.
• Wrong number: Not a good fellow.
• Ya follow: “Do you understand?”
• Yap: Mouth.
• Yard: $100.
• Yegg: Safecracker who can only open cheap and easy safes.
• Zotzed: Killed.

Fascinating Facts About the 1920s

• In France, they refer to the Roaring Twenties as “années folles.” Translation? “Crazy years.”
• Charles Lindbergh flew the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927.
• The price of a Model T Ford car in 1925 was roughly $260.
• Notable publications of the ’20s include Lila Bell and DeWitt Wallace’s Reader’s Digest (1922), F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925), A.A. Milne’s first collection of stories about Winnie the Pooh (1926), and William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury (1929).
• Penicillin was accidentally discovered in the 1920s, by Alexander Fleming after he had contaminated an experiment.
• On Sept. 16, 1920, there was an explosion on Wall Street that killed more than 30 people and injured around 300. There is still uncertainty around who was behind the attack.
• A few incredible pieces in New York City were created during the roaring twenties, like the reinstallation of Madison Square Garden in 1925 and The Yankee Stadium in 1927.
• Drug stores weren’t just places to pick up your prescription during the twenties. Customers would hang out and drink egg creams and root beer floats there, too.

This article was originally published on Feb. 29, 2020

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30+ Weird Slang Terms From The 20s That Prove Young People Have Always Been Dumb

There isn't a whole lot of 1920s slang that's still in circulation in the 21st century. However, there are some pretty cool Roaring Twenties slang words that should be brought back into the vernacular, mostly because it's very entertaining. Some of the old '20s expressions are really good, or as they would say, "Really berries!" If Roaring Twenties slang was still in use after the turn of the 20th cenutry, business magnate Richard Branson would be considered an "egg," or someone who is very wealthy with a lavish lifestyle. Mariah Carey would be a "sheba," or a sexually desirable woman. And instead of eating a doughnut, you'd be eating a "sinker."

You have to admit, old '20s expressions are charming and bring you back to a time when flappers ruled the world and alcohol was prohibited. Check out some weird and offbeat slang from a bygone era below and vote up your favorite slang from the 1920s that people actually used. 

Bee's Knees

A person or thing that is very desirable. A similar phrase is "cat's pajamas."

Wet Blanket

Someone who doesn't know how to have any fun.

Liquor. 

A person in charge or someone very important.

To have a good time.

101+ 1920s Slang Words That Take You Back to a Different Time

The roaring twenties were a time of glitz and glamor. The era was known as the “Jazz age” and everyone was out partying like there’s no tomorrow. Of course, these scenes are for the rich alone, since even then, there is an enormous gap between the rich and poor.

Today, we’ll be going back in time and talk about the 1920s slang. These terms might be too old to use, but you can spice your vocabulary and add a few words to impress someone. This way, you’ll have more to talk to and you can share the knowledge you learned with us.

Therefore, read the 100+ 1920s slang words we provided below. We also provided the meanings of each slang and added examples to kick-start your learning!

1920s Slang Words That Take You Back to a Different Time (In Alphabetical Order)

• Meaning: (Noun) The 1920s slang “alderman” is a name for a man’s pot-belly. A pot belly consists of excess fat.
• Example: Hey, your alderman’s showing. Pull down your shirt.
• Meaning: (Noun) Ameche, in the 1920s slang, is another name for a telephone. It was named after a famous actor, Don Ameche, who played a telephone inventor, in one of his films.
• Example: Answer the amehce. It’s been ringing since morning.
• Meaning: (Noun) The word “ankle” is used to refer to a woman. It is also used when a person is about to walk or is walking with someone.
• Example: Do not engage with that ankle. She has quite the reputation, and not a good one.
• Meaning: (Expression) The expression “applesauce” is a popular expression used in the 1920s. The term means “nonsense.”
• Example: Applesauce! You are just overreacting.
• Meaning: (Expression) Another expression that means “nonsense” is baloney. The word also means that a person does not believe in what the other person is saying.
• Example: What you are implying is baloney! I won’t listen to another word you’re saying.

Be on the nut

• Meaning: (Phrase) The phrase “be on the nut” means that a person is about to be or is broke.
• Example: I’ll be on the nut if I don’t pay off my debts in six months.

Bee’s knees

• Meaning: (Phrase) The phrase “bee’s knees” refers to an extraordinary person. It can also be used for extraordinary things or situations.
• Example: Your idea is bee’s knees! Let’s do it tonight.
• Meaning: (Noun) The term “big one” is one of the slang terms used for “death” in the 1920s.
• Example: If you keep driving like that, you’ll be near the big one soon.
• Meaning: (Noun) Bim is one of the slang terms used for “woman.” It is one of the most commonly used slang in the 1920s era.
• Example: Are you going out with the bim you met last night?
• Meaning: (Verb) The term “blip off” who is about to kill someone.
• Example: Do not test me. I am ready to blip off any minute.
• Meaning: (Verb) Blow, in the 1920s era, has a different meaning than what we know today. This slang means “leave.”
• Example: Let’s blow. This party is getting boring.
• Meaning: (Noun) The word “bo” is used to call a close friend or fellow. It was widely used in the 1920s and can still be used today.
• Example: Come meet my bo. He’s also single.
• Meaning: (Noun) A boiler is another word for “car.” Cars, or boilers, in the 1920s, use stem engines to run.
• Example: You could wait in the boiler for me. I’ll be quick.
• Meaning: (Noun) “Bracelets” is another term used in the 1920s for handcuffs.
• Example: Did they put bracelets on you? Do not say a word until our lawyer arrives!
• Meaning: (Noun) Broad is another word for a pretty woman. It was one of the most common terms in the 1920s.
• Example: Why did you not bring your broad with you? I was hoping my wife would have someone to talk to tonight.
• Meaning: (Noun) Bruno is a common word in the 1920s for a tough guy or an enforcer.
• Example: You’re messing with the wrong person. He is a bruno.

Butter and egg man

• Meaning: (Phrase) The term “butter and egg man” is used to call a person who brings the money. He is also called the “money man.”
• Example: Let’s wait for the butter and egg man to arrive.
• Meaning: (Noun) Butts is another word for cigarette. Cigarettes were popular in the 1920s and people can smoke anywhere they please.
• Example: Let me finish my butts before leaving.
• Meaning: (Noun) The term “C” is another term for $100 bills. A pair of $100 bills is called a pair of Cs.
• Example: I need to borrow a pair of Cs to start a small business.
• Meaning: (Noun) A can be used for two things: It can be used as another word for jail or car. This term is jailhouse talk during the Jazz age.
• Example: I can’t believe you were canned last night! What were you doing?!
• Meaning: (Noun) Century is also another word for a $100 bill.
• Example: I only have a century left and it won’t get me through this month.
• Meaning: (Noun) In the 1920s, the word “cheaters” meant “sunglasses.” This term was used because you cannot tell if a person is lying or not because you couldn’t see his or her eyes.
• Example: I like your cheaters. Where’d you get them?
• Meaning: (Adjective) Another 1920s slang word used often then and now is chew. To chew is to eat.
• Example: Let’s chew before we hit the road. It will be a long drive.
• Meaning: (Noun) The word “chick” is still used even today, but it started back in the 1920s. The word chick means a woman with sex appeal.
• Example: I saw you hanging out with the chick we met at the party the other night.
• Meaning: (Noun) In the 1920s era, a gullible person is called a chump.
• Example: Hey, chump. Would you lend me a few bucks? I swear to give it back tomorrow.
• Meaning: (Adjective) The word “clipped” means “shot” because when you pull the trigger of a gun, it makes a clipping sound.
• Example: He almost got clipped yesterday. We shouldn’t have risked it.

Close your head

• Meaning: (Expression) When a person says “close your head”, he or she wants you to shut up.
• Example: Close your head! Your opinion doesn’t matter.
• Meaning: (Noun) The term “croaker” is another name for “doctor” and is a popular slang in the 1920s.
• Example: We need to call a croaker or else he won’t recover.
• Meaning: (Noun) You might be familiar with the word “crush” today, for it is still used. The word was popularized in the 1920s and means a person you are infatuated with.
• Example: Have you tried approaching your crush?
• Meaning: (Noun) Another popular slang word in the 1920s is “dame.” It is another slang for “woman.”
• Example: You’re a pretty dame. Can I take you out?
• Meaning: (Verb) The term dance does not have a positive meaning back in the jazz era. It meant “to be hanged” since death by hanging was still allowed.
• Example: I can’t believe he’ll dance tomorrow. Now, all that he killed will be avenged.
• Meaning: (Noun) Another slang for an excellent or smart person is “darb.”
• Example: You are the only person marked with the highest scores. Congratulations, darb!
• Meaning: (Noun) The word “dib” is the share of the proceeds a person will receive after working with a group.
• Example: How much dib will I have? I need to pay some bills by the end of the week.
• Meaning: (Noun) A dish is a woman with a strong sex appeal or is pretty. It is also a popular 1920s slang but is not heard of today.
• Example: What a dish you are. Are you in a relationship?
• Meaning: (Noun) A dive is a cheap transient hotel or a bar. Since the 1920s is full of glitz and glam, dives are quite distinguishable and can look out of place.
• Example: I don’t want to go in a dive. It’s dirty and unsafe.
• Meaning: (Noun) back then, bread is used to pay for things and necessities a person needs. Therefore, most people in the 1920s use “dough” as another term for money.
• Example: You have enough dough to last you until the next assignment.
• Meaning: (Verb) To drift is to go or leave.
• Example: He drifted away with his friends driving stolen cars.

Drop a dime

• Meaning: (Phrase) Drop a dime is a phrase commonly used in the 1920s that means to make a phone call or to tell something to the police. Usually, witnesses that don’t want to get involved call the police to narrate what happened during a crime.
• Example: Did you drop a dime on me? Sorry, I couldn’t answer earlier.
• Meaning: (Noun) A drum is a code or slang used to call a speakeasy. Speakeasies were not always legal, so most people going to these establishments needed to make up a name to prevent authorities from catching them.
• Example: There’s a new drum downtown. Let’s check it out tonight.
• Meaning: (Verb) The term “dust out” is used when a person is leaving.
• Example: I need to dust out. It’s getting late.
• Meaning: (Noun) The term egg is used to call a man who lives a fancy life and is always dressed to impress.
• Example: The egg is wearing fancy clothes just to have a few drinks.
• Meaning: (Adverb) The word fade is a popular 1920s slang that means “to go away” or get lost.”
• Example: Why are you still here? Fade!
• Meaning: (Noun) The word fella was first used in the 1920s and until now, it’s a slang term used for a man.
• Example: The fella over there is not a good fellow. Avoid that sneaky person.
• Meaning: (Noun) Fin is slang for a $5 dollar bill.
• Example: Could you lend me a fin? I’m short now but I’ll pay you back tomorrow.
• Meaning: (Phrase) When you hear a person say he or she went on a flat tire, he or she means a disappointing date.
• Example: My date brought a female companion! What a flat tire.
• Meaning: (Noun) The word “flippers” does not mean the swimming apparatus you wear to help you swim faster and longer with minimal effort. In the 1920s, it meant “hands.”
• Example:Your flippers are dirty. That’s not how a pretty woman should be.
• Meaning: (Verb) When you are tired or going to bed, you “flop” down on the bed. This term was popular back in the Jazz age but is not commonly used today.
• Example: i could flop any time. I’m just so tired today.
• Meaning: (Noun) The word “frau” is a German word for “wife” and is used as 1920s slang for “wife” as well.
• Example: Where’s your frau? Is she sick?
• Meaning: (Verb) The word fry is used when a person, commonly a criminal that has a death sentence, is electrocuted.
• Example: The prison guards will bring him his last meal before getting fried. He should just accept punishment.
• Meaning: (Noun) The term “fuzz” was used to call the police. It was a popular term amongst hippies.
• Example: Hurry, the fuzz will be here any minute.
• Meaning: (Noun) The term “gams” refers to a woman’s legs. Back in the 20s, a woman’s legs are the sexiest part of their body.
• Example: A woman gams is the man’s weakness.
• Meaning: (Noun) Gaspers are marijuana cigarettes that were illegal back in the 1920s.
• Example: They’re not necessarily mafia since they only sell gaspers.
• Meaning: (Phrase) When a person says “get sore”, he or she is provoking you until you get mad.
• Example: You don’t approve of what I do? Get sore, then.

Giggle water

• Meaning: (Phrase) The term “giggle water” is used to refer to particularly hard liquor.
• Example: You trouble boys always drink too much giggle water.
• Meaning: (Adjective) Goofy is a popular slang in the roaring twenties that means “crazy.”
• Example: You look goofy when you are portraying one of the plainclothes railroad cops.
• Meaning: (Noun) The word “goon” was first used in 1920 and is still used today. It refers to a person who is a thug.
• Example: I can’t believe that ladies’ man is a goon!

Gooseberry lay

• Meaning: (Phrase) The phrase “gooseberry lane” is used when someone is caught stealing clothes from a clothesline.
• Example: Do not gooseberry lay on our neighbors. I am warning you.
• Meaning: (Phrase) “Grab air” is a phrase used when a person is lifting their hands up in the air.
• Example: Everyone, grab air! This will be an exceptional ride.
• Meaning: (Noun) A grand is equivalent to $1,000. This 1920s term is still widely used today.
• Example: You ask for a grand as if we’re rich!
• Meaning: (Noun) A hack is a taxi, and the term was derived from the black carriages in London called “hackney carriage.”
• Example: Call a hack for me while I prepare. Thank you.
• Meaning: (Noun) A half is 50 cents. Back in the roaring twenties, a half is already a sizeable amount of money.
• Example: Are you sure you only need a half?

Heebie-jeebies

• Meaning: (Noun) Heebie-jeebies is used when a person has jitters or is overly nervous about something.
• Example: This person easily convinced, is giving me the heebie-jeebies.

High pillow

• Meaning: (Phrase) A high pillow is a person who is in charge or is on the top level of a company.
• Example: Remember, he is the high pillow, and he wants to talk to you. This is amazing news!
• Meaning: (Verb) Hinky is another way of saying that a person is suspicious about someone or something.
• Example: This situation is hinky. I don’ think I want to continue.

Hitting on all eight

• Meaning: (Expression) Hitting on all eight does not mean hitting the eight ball. This 1920s slang means a person is in good shape and is doing well.
• Example: It’s been so long, bro! I see you’ve been hitting on all eight.
• Meaning: (Adjective) When something happens, and it is not expected, it is hokum. The word “hokum” means that someone or something is nonsense.
• Example: Accusing him of being a corrupt politician is hokum!
• Meaning: (Noun) The word “horn” is another term used to call a telephone because they were shaped like a small horn back then.
• Example: Why does the horn keep ringing? Will no one answer?

Hotsy-totsy

• Meaning: (Phrase) “Hotsy-totsy” is another term for a pleasing person, thing, or situation.
• Example: This brash young woman is unexpectedly pleasing.
• Meaning: (Noun) Ice is a word used to call diamonds back in the roaring twenties. Today, we could still hear this term used, especially in music and film.
• Example: You’ve got quite the collection of ice.
• Meaning: (Noun) Jack is not a person, but money. This term was derived from the Cockney rhyming slang “jack’s alive” and means a 5-pound note.
• Example: I would appreciate it if you would let me borrow a jack.
• Meaning: (Nouun) The word “jane” is another term for a woman, especially woman who cannot be identified.
• Example: The police saw a jane lying on the ground. They are checking for any sign of life.
• Meaning: (Noun) Joe means a cup of coffee. This 1920s slang is still widely used today.
• Example: A cup of joe would be nice on this rainy morning
• Meaning: (Noun) The term “joint” is used in place of “house” or “place.” We can still hear this term being used today.
• Example: This joint is sick! If this is how men sleep soundly, then I need a place like this.
• Meaning: (Adjective) The word “keen” means that a person or thing is attractive or appealing to a person’s eyes.
• Example: This might be an old car, but it’s keen, and it takes me where I need to be.
• Meaning: (Noun) In the 1920s, a kisser is a mouth.
• Example: Watch the words that go out of your kisser.
• Meaning: (Phrase) “Lammed off” means a person ran away or escaped.
• Example: He lammed off when we discovered the drink drugged with something to make a person blackout.
• Meaning: (Noun) The word “large” is another term for $1,000.
• Example: I won 10 large at a local lotto booth!
• Meaning: (Verb) A line is when someone offers or says insincere flattery to another person.
• Example: I can’t believe you say lines to your weak sister! It doesn’t help her.
• Meaning: (Phrase) Though lousy is associated with negativity, the phrase “lousy with” means a person has plenty of things.
• Example: You are lousy with jewelry. I am so jealous!
• Meaning: (Verb) The word “made” is slang for getting recognized by someone.
• Example: I made you are wearing a wedding ring. I don’t want trouble.
• Meaning: (Noun) In the roaring twenties, a face is called a map because as a person ages, lines form around the face, creating a map of memories of both happiness and sadness.
• Example: Your map is as beautiful as ever.
• Meaning: (Noun) Pearls are called marbles because they are both similar in shape and size.
• Example: Your marbles are gorgeous! Please tell me where I could get one for myself.
• Meaning: (Verb) To be “nailed” is to be caught by the police.
• Example: I knew I was nailed when he showed me his policeman’s badge.
• Meaning: (Verb) When a person says you’re necking with someone, you are snuggling intimately.
• Example: Tell me the truth. Did you neck him last night?
• Meaning: (Phrase) When a person asks you to nibble one, he or she is asking you to drink with him or her.
• Example: Come on, let’s nibble one. It’s still early!
• Meaning: (Noun) In the 20s, the term “number” means a person.
• Example: That number is a beauty!

Out on the roof

• Meaning: (Phrase) The term “out on the roof” is used when a person is drunk.
• Example: You were out on the roof the other night. Are you feeling much better now?
• Meaning: (Noun) The word “pal” refers to a male friend. This term is still widely used up to this day.
• Example: My pal can fix bent cars. His services are well-priced too!
• Meaning: (Noun) In the Jazz age, people call the heart a pump because of how the heart pumps blood.
• Example: Your pump is weak, so don’t do any strenuous activities until the doctor says otherwise.
• Meaning: (Phrase) To put down at the end of a tiring day means to drink.
• Example: Let’s put down and wear glad rags and have a mini party at my place.
• Meaning: (Verb) When a person says they ratted out, it means they informed another person about someone’s whereabouts or secrets.
• Example: Never rat me out or you’ll be in a gunfire Chicago overcoat.
• Meaning: (Adjective) The term “ritzy” means elegant.
• Example: The 1920s was a ritzy era.
• Meaning: (Noun) The slang term “rod” means gun.
• Example: I could use my rod on a wet blanket like you.
• Meaning: (Expression) The term savvy is an expression used when a person asks another if he or she understands.
• Example: Do not open this box. Savvy?
• Meaning: (Phrase) Scram out is another 1920s slang phrase used today. It means “leave.”
• Example: Scram out, dumb dora!
• Meaning: (Verb) To sing is to confess a committed crime.
• Example: Sing, wrong gee! Or you’ll get chin music.
• Meaning: (Verb) In the Jazz Age, “slant” is a term used when a person wants to look at something.
• Example: Slant at the house dick peering inside the house next door.
• Meaning: (Verb) The word “smoked” refers to a person who is overly intoxicated.
• Example: When will you come home and not be smoked?
• Meaning: (Phrase) “Take on” is a phrase when a person wants to eat.
• Example: Let’s take on steak and ribs this evening.

Tighten the screws

• Meaning: (Phrase) When a person says “tighten the screws”, it means to put pressure on somebody.
• Example: If you continue this behavior, I will tighten the screws.
• Meaning: (Phrase) The phrase “tip a few” means to have a few drinks.
• Example: Let’s tip a few at my joint this weekend.
• Meaning: (Verb) Whoopee means having fun with your partner.
• Example: Let’s stay home and whoopee today.

Wrong number

• Meaning: (Phrase) A wrong number is a person who’s no good.
• Example: Stay away from him. He’s a wrong number.
• Meaning: (Expression) When a person asks if “ya follow?”, he or she is asking you if you understand.
• Example: Stay put and touch nothing. Ya follow?
• Meaning: (Noun) The word “yard” is used to call a $100 bill.
• Example: Do you have a yard? I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.

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All are welcome at r/writers: fiction writers, nonfiction writers, bloggers and more! Get critique on your work, share resources, ask questions and help fellow writers.

Period (1920's) slang, speech patterns, etc

Where can I go to get a good feel for 1920's slang and speech patterns? Specifically, I'd like my dialogue to feel authentic to the mid-20's characters I'm writing, who live in 1920's small town New Mexico. A woman at my big old writing group suggested old newspapers, but it seems to me that might reflect more an educated, urbane populace than uneducated, rural folks. (Add on that two of the fellows are Hispanic and there's a whole other level of discombobulation.) Obviously, moderation would be key, so I need not blast readers with gibberish, but I'd like to at least pepper in some period phrasing, maybe some swearing. Any ideas? Thanks.

Home — Essay Samples — History — Roaring Twenties — A History of the Roaring 20s Era

A History of The Roaring 20s Era

• Categories: Roaring Twenties

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Words: 721 |

Published: Dec 11, 2018

Words: 721 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Works Cited:

• Atkins, J. W. H. (2008). Martin Luther King Jr. and the Global Freedom Struggle. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Branch, T. (1989). Parting the waters: America in the King years, 1954-63. Simon & Schuster.
• Carson, C., Shepard, S. A., & Garrow, D. J. (Eds.). (1998). The papers of Martin Luther King, Jr: Volume VI: Advocate of the social gospel, September 1948–March 1963. University of California Press.
• Fairclough, A. (1995). To redeem the soul of America: The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Martin Luther King, Jr. University of Georgia Press.
• King, M. L. (1992). The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Warner Books.
• McPherson, S. (2001). The Civil Rights Movement and the Logic of Social Change. Cambridge University Press.
• Pierce, J. R. (2017). The Cambridge Companion to Martin Luther King Jr. Cambridge University Press.
• Sitkoff, H. (2008). The struggle for Black equality. Hill and Wang.
• Ward, B. (2013). The Reverend's Journey: The Making of a Civil Rights Leader. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Williams, J. M. (2004). From M.L. King Jr. to Barack Obama: African American history and its meanings for the twenty-first century. Journal of African American History, 89(2), 118-126.

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