Post by Shangas on Aug 2, 2008 18:05:19 GMT 10
Roaring Twenties Slang
home.earthlink.net/~dlarkins/slang-pg.htm
The Internet Guide to Jazz-Age Slang.
The Jazz-Age ran from circa 1918-1929. Many of these phrases and slang-words lasted well into the 1950s, and some we still use today.
Some of the really common slang-words from the Jazz-Age (and which you might recognise), are:
"Baloney" - which means nonsense ("What a heap of baloney!").
"Bearcat" - a fiery, hot-blooded dame ("What a bearcat that gal was!), possibly comes from the Stutz Bearcat, a famous, turn-of-the-century racecar.
"Beat it!" - Sometimes still used today, a more modern equivalent would be "Fuck off!".
"Pipe" - Telephone ("That stupid dame's been on the pipe the whole day!").
"Crush" - 80, 90 years later, the meaning of this word hasn't changed. Your 'crush' is the chick (or guy) you got the hots for.
"Dick" - A private detective. Other common slang-terms for a detective included a "Shamus" and a "gumshoe". A slightly more modern term was "private cop".
"Fag" - British slang, for a cigarette. Starting about 1920 in the USA, this term also meant a homosexual (also, at the time, called a "fairy").
"Flivver" or "Tin Lizzy" - A Model-T Ford.
"Gams" - Legs.
"Get in a lather" or "lathered up" - To get angry or irritated/aggressive about something ("What the hell you all lathered up for?").
"Gold-digger" - Another phrase that hasn't changed much in the past 80-odd years, a 'gold-digger' is a younger woman after an older man for his money.
"The goods" - The information, the truth. Also "dope".
"Limey" - A Briton. Originates from the 18th century, when British sailors drank lime-juice onboard ships to prevent scurvy.
"Pipe down" - Keep it quiet. Comes from the Bos'un's pipe onboard navy ships. To 'pipe down' was the sign for the bos'un to stop using his pipe (to whistle out orders), and keep quiet.
"Puttin' on the Ritz" - A jazz-song from 1929. Named for the Ritz Hotel in France, to 'put on the ritz' meant to dress fashionably.
"Rub" - Problem or hindrance ("What's the deal? You were supposed to meet Johnny at the corner!" / "Well that's the rub, he wasn't there, so I couldn't get the money from him").
"Torpedo" - A hired gunman or low-down gangster. In Mafia terms, a 'buttonman'.
home.earthlink.net/~dlarkins/slang-pg.htm
The Internet Guide to Jazz-Age Slang.
The Jazz-Age ran from circa 1918-1929. Many of these phrases and slang-words lasted well into the 1950s, and some we still use today.
Some of the really common slang-words from the Jazz-Age (and which you might recognise), are:
"Baloney" - which means nonsense ("What a heap of baloney!").
"Bearcat" - a fiery, hot-blooded dame ("What a bearcat that gal was!), possibly comes from the Stutz Bearcat, a famous, turn-of-the-century racecar.
"Beat it!" - Sometimes still used today, a more modern equivalent would be "Fuck off!".
"Pipe" - Telephone ("That stupid dame's been on the pipe the whole day!").
"Crush" - 80, 90 years later, the meaning of this word hasn't changed. Your 'crush' is the chick (or guy) you got the hots for.
"Dick" - A private detective. Other common slang-terms for a detective included a "Shamus" and a "gumshoe". A slightly more modern term was "private cop".
"Fag" - British slang, for a cigarette. Starting about 1920 in the USA, this term also meant a homosexual (also, at the time, called a "fairy").
"Flivver" or "Tin Lizzy" - A Model-T Ford.
"Gams" - Legs.
"Get in a lather" or "lathered up" - To get angry or irritated/aggressive about something ("What the hell you all lathered up for?").
"Gold-digger" - Another phrase that hasn't changed much in the past 80-odd years, a 'gold-digger' is a younger woman after an older man for his money.
"The goods" - The information, the truth. Also "dope".
"Limey" - A Briton. Originates from the 18th century, when British sailors drank lime-juice onboard ships to prevent scurvy.
"Pipe down" - Keep it quiet. Comes from the Bos'un's pipe onboard navy ships. To 'pipe down' was the sign for the bos'un to stop using his pipe (to whistle out orders), and keep quiet.
"Puttin' on the Ritz" - A jazz-song from 1929. Named for the Ritz Hotel in France, to 'put on the ritz' meant to dress fashionably.
"Rub" - Problem or hindrance ("What's the deal? You were supposed to meet Johnny at the corner!" / "Well that's the rub, he wasn't there, so I couldn't get the money from him").
"Torpedo" - A hired gunman or low-down gangster. In Mafia terms, a 'buttonman'.