The twenties were the first decade to emphasize youth culture over the older generations, and the flapper sub-culture had a tremendous influence on main stream America; many new words and phrases were coined by these liberated women. Many of these are still used today!
Below you will find an alphabetical listing of slang words used in the "Jazz Age" (generally taken to mean the years of the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression). The Jazz Age was the first modern era to emphasize youth culture over the tastes of the older generations; the flapper sub-culture had a tremendous influence on main stream America--many new words and phrases were coined by these liberated women. These are the most common words and phrases of the time, many of which you may be surprised to note are still very much in use today!
Some entries were the exclusive domain of students (or rather, those of student age; only a very small percentage of the population attended college) or flappers and have been indicated as such with italicized monikers. Also, the words that emerged in a particular year are noted appropriately.
Note: the majority of the entries were gleaned from a great slang dictionary called Flappers 2 Rappers, written by Tom Dalzell (Merriam-Webster, 1996). This is the resource for those interested in slang from any decade of the 20th century. The reader will find more Jazz Age slang, along with literally hundreds of other words and selected etymologies.
Many entries have also been added from The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life from Prohibition through World War II, by Marc McCutcheon. This book is an indispensable guide to all those minutiae of life during one of the most story rich periods in history. A must have for those interested in the Twenties! Check it out (along with all the other books in the Writer's Guide series) here.
“-“
-ski, -avous - these are two suffixes (derived from Russian and French, respectively) used in flapper parlance to “dress up” normal words. The suffix could be added to any word. There was only one hard and fast rule: if you responded to a question containing a suffix, you had to use the same part of speech somehow. Example: “Would you like a drink-avous?” “No thanks, I’m on the wagon-avous.” “The sun-ski is so bright!” “Put on a hat-ski.”
A
Ab-so-lute-ly - affirmative
Abe's Cabe - five-dollar bill
Ace - one-dollar bill
All wet - incorrect
And how! - I strongly agree!
Ankle - to walk, i.e.. "Let's ankle!"
Applesauce - flattery, nonsense, i.e.. "Aw, applesauce!"
Attaboy! - well done!; also, Attagirl!
B
Baby - sweetheart. Also denotes something of high value or respect.
Balled Up - confused, messed up
Baloney - nonsense!
Bank's Closed - no kissing or making out - i.e. - "Sorry, Mac, the bank's closed."
Bearcat - a hot-blooded or fiery girl
Beat it - scam or get lost
Beat one's gums - idle chatter
Bee's Knees - An extraordinary person, thing, idea; the ultimate
Beef - a complaint or to complain
Beeswax - business, i.e. None of your beeswax."
Bell bottom - a sailor
Berries - That which is attractive or pleasing; similar to bee's knees, As in "It's the berries."
Bible Belt - Area in the South and Midwest where Fundamentalism flourishes
Big Cheese - The most important or influential person; boss. Same as big shot
Big six - a strong man; from auto advertising, for the new and powerful; six cylinder engines
Bimbo - a tough guy
Bird - general term for a man or woman, sometimes meaning "odd," i.e. "What a funny old bird."
C
Cake-eater - a lady's man
Caper - a criminal act or robbery
Cat's meow = great, also "cat's pajamas" and "cat's whiskers"
Сash: a kiss
Сash or check?: Do we kiss now or later?
Cast a kitten/have kittens - to have a fit. Used in both humorous and serious situations. i.e. "Stop tickling me or I'll cast a kitten!"
Celestial - derogatory slang for Chinese or East Asians
Chassis (1930) - the female body
Cheaters - eye glasses
Check - kiss me later
Chewing gum - double-speak, or ambiguous talk
Chicago typewriter: Thompson submachine gun
Choice bit of calico - attractive female; student
Chopper - a Thompson Sub-Machine Gun, due to the damage its heavy .45 caliber rounds did to the human body
Chunk of lead - an unnattractive female; student
Ciggy - cigarette
Clam - a dollar
Coffin varnish - bootleg liquor, often poisonous
Copacetic - excellent, all in order
Crasher - a person who attends a party uninvited
Crush - infatuation
Cuddler - one who likes to make out
D
Daddy - a young woman's boyfriend or lover, especially if he's rich
Dame - a female
Dapper - a Flapper's dad
Darb - An excellent person or thing (as in "the Darb" - a person with money who can be relied on to pay the check)
Dead soldier - an empty bear bottle
Deb - an debutant
Dick - a private investigator
Dogs - feet
Doll - an attractive woman
Dolled up - dressed up
Don't know from nothing - don't have any information
Don't take any wooden nickels - Don't do anything stupid
Double-cross - to cheat, stab in the back
Dough - money
Drugstore Cowboy - a guy that hangs around on a street corner trying to pick up girls
Dry up - shut up, get lost
Ducky - very good
Dumb Dora - a stupid female
E
Earful - enough
Edge - intoxication, a buzz. i.e. "I've got an edge."
Egg - a person who lives the big life
Ethel - an effeminate male.
F
Face stretcher - an old woman trying to look young
Fag - a cigarette; also, starting around 1920, a homosexual.
Fella - fellow. as common in its day as "man," "dude," or "guy" is today, i.e. "That John sure is a swell fella."
Fire extinguisher - a chaperone
Fish - (1) a college freshman (2) a first timer in prison
Flat tire - a bore
Flivver - a Model T; after 1928, could mean any broken down car
Floorflusher - an insatiable dancer
Flour lover - a girl with too much face powder
Fly boy a glamorous term for an aviator
For crying out loud! - same usage as today
Four-flusher - a person who feigns wealth while mooching off others
Fried - drunk
Futz - a euphemism for "fuck;" i.e. "Don't futz around."
G
Gams (1930) - legs
Gasper - cigarette
Gatecrasher - see "crasher"
Gay - happy or lively; no connection to homosexuality; see "fag"
Get Hot! Get Hot! - encouragement for a hot dancer doing his or her thing
Get-up (1930) - an outfit
Get a wiggle on - get a move on, get going
Get in a lather - get worked up, angry
Giggle water - booze
Gigolo - dancing partner
Gim - cripple; one who walks with a limp; gangster Dion O’Bannion was called Gimpy due to his noticeable limp
Gin mill - a seller of hard liquor; a cheap speakeasy
Glad rags - "going out on the town" clothes
Go chase yourself - get lost, scram.
Gold-digger (1925) - a woman who pursues men for their money
Goods, the - (1) the right material, or a person who has it (2) the facts, the truth, i.e. "Make sure the cops don't get the goods on you."
Goof - (1) a stupid or bumbling person, (2) a boyfriend; flapper.
Goofy - in love
Grummy - depressed
Grungy - envious
H
Hair of the Dog - a shot of alcohol
Handcuff - an engagement ring
Hard Boiled - a tough, strong guy
Hayburner - (1) a gas guzzling car (2) a horse one loses money on
Heebie-Jeebies - The jitters
High-Hat - To snub
Hit on all sixes - to perform 100 per cent; as "hitting on all six cyclinders"
Hooch - Bootleg liquor
Hood - hoodlum
Hoofer - Dancer
Horsefeathers - an expletive ; same usage as applesauce
Hotsy - Totsy - Pleasing
I
"I have to go see a man about a dog." - "I've got to leave now," often meaning to go buy whiskey
Іcy mitt - rejection
Indian hop - marijuana
Insure - engaged
Iron (1925) - a motorcycle, among motorcycle enthusiasts
Iron one’s shoelaces - to go to the restroom
Ish kabibble (1925) - a retort meaning "I should care," from the name of a musician in the Kay Kayser Orchestra
J
Jack - money
Jake - OK, as in , "Everything is Jake."
Jalopy - Old car
Jane - any female
Java - coffee
Jitney - a car employed as a private bus. Fare was usually five cents; also called a "nickel"
Joe - coffee
John - a toilet
Joint - an establishment
Juice Joint - a speakeasy
Joint - A club, usually selling alcohol
K
Kale - money
Keen - appealing
Kike - a derogatory term for a Jewish person
Killjoy - a solemn person
Knock up - to make pregnant
Know one's onions - to know one's business or what one is talking about
L
Lay off - cut the crap
Left holding the bag - (1) to be cheated out of one's fair share (2) to be blamed for something
Let George do it - a work evading phrase
Level with me - be honest
Limey - a British soldier or citizen; from World War I
Line - a false story, as in "to feed one a line"
Live wire - a lively person
Lollapalooza (1930) - a humdinger
Lollygagger - (1) a young man who enjoys making out (2) an idle person
M
Middle Aisle - To marry
Mrs. Grundy - A priggish or extremely tight-laced person
Moll - A gangster's girl
N
Neck - Kissing with passion
Nifty - great, excellent
"Now you're on the trolley!" - Now you've got it, now you're right!
Nobody Home - Describes some one who is dumb
O
Ofay - a commonly used Black expression for Whites
Off one's nuts - crazy
"Oh yeah!" - "I doubt it!"
Old boy - a male term of address, used in conversation with other males as a way to denote acceptance in a social environment; also: "old man" or "old fruit"
Oliver Twist - a skilled dancer
On a toot - a drinking binge
On the lam - fleeing from police
On the level - legitimate, honest
On the up and up - on the level
Orchid - an expensive item
Ossified - drunk
Owl - a person who's out late
P
Palooka (1) a below-average or average boxer (2) a social outsider, from the comic strip character Joe Palooka
Pet - Same as neck, but more so
Piker - (1) a cheapskate (2) a coward
Pill - (1) a teacher (2) an unlikable person
Pinch - To arrest
Pipe down - stop talking
Pushover - A person easily convinced or seduced
Putting on the Ritz - after the Ritz hotel in Paris; doing something in high style
Q
Quiff: a slut or cheap prostitute
R
Rag-a-muffin - a dirty or disheveled individual
Razz- to make fun of
Real McCoy - The genuine article
Ritzy - Elegant (from the hotel)
Rubes - money or dollars
S
Sap - a fool, an idiot; very common term in the 20s
Sawbuck - ten-dollar bill
Says you - a reaction of disbelief
Scratch - money
Screaming meemies - the shakes
Screw - get lost, get out, etc.; occasionally, in pre 1930 talkies (such as The Broadway Melody) screw is used to tell a character to leave: one film features the line "Go on, go on--screw!"
Screwy - crazy; "You're screwy!"
Sheba - one's girlfriend
Sheik - one's boyfriend
Shine box - a bar or club for black patrons
Shiv - a knife
Simolean - a dollar
Sinker - a doughnut
Sitting pretty - in a prime position
Skee - Scotch whiskey
Skirt - an attractive female
Smarty - a cute flapper
Smoke-eater - a smoker
Smudger - a close dancer
Snort - a drink of liquor
Sockdollager - an action having a great impact
So's your old man - a reply of irritation
Spade - yet another derogatory term for an African-American
Speakeasy - a bar selling illeagal liquor
Spill - to talk
Splifficated - drunk
Spoon - to neck, or at least talk of love
Static - (1) empty talk (2) conflicting opinion
Stilts - legs
Strike-me-dead - bootleg liquor
Struggle - modern dance
Stuck on - in love; student.
Sugar daddy - older boyfriend who showers girlfriend with gifts in exchange for sex
Swanky - (1) good (2) elegant
Swell - (1) good (2) a high class person
T
Take for a Ride - To drive off with someone in order to bump them off
Tin Pan Alley - the music industry in New York, located between 48th and 52nd street
Tomato - a female
Torpedo - A hired gun
U
Unreal - special
Upchuck - to vomit
Upstage - snobby
V
Vamp - (1) a seducer of men, an aggressive flirt (2) to seduce
Voot - money
W
Wet Blanket - a solemn person, a killjoy
What's eating you? - What's wrong
Whoopee - To have a good time
Y
You slay me - that's funny
Z
Zozzled - drunk