A
Ace: One-dollar bill
All wet: Incorrect
And how!: I strongly agree!
Ankle: To walk, i.e.. “Let’s ankle!”
Applesauce: Nonsense, i.e.. “Aw, applesauce!”
Attaboy! or Attagirl!: Well done!
B
Balled up: Confused, messed up
Baloney: Nonsense
Barn burner: An extremely impressive event or successful outcome
Barrel house: Illegal distillery
Bearcat: A hot-blooded or fiery girl
Beat it: Scram, get lost
Beat one’s gums: Idle chatter
Bee’s knee’s: Terrific
Beef: A complaint or to complain
Beeswax: Business i.e.. “Mind your own Beeswax!”
Bell bottom: A sailor
Belt: A drink of liquor
Bent: Drunk
Berries: (1) Perfect (2) Money
Bimbo: A tough guy
Blow: (1) A crazy party (2) To leave
Bootleg: Illegal liquor
Breezer: A convertible car
Brown: Whiskey
Brown plaid: Scotch whiskey
Bum’s rush, the: Ejection by force from an establishment
C
cake-eater: a lady’s man
caper: a criminal act or robbery
cat’s meow, cat’s pajamas or cat’s whiskers: great
cash: a kiss
cast a kitten or have kittens: to have a fit
chassis: the female body
cheaters: eye glasses
check: kiss me later
chewing gum: double-speak, or ambiguous talk
Chicago typewriter: Thompson sub-machine gun
choice bit of calico: an attractive female
chunk of lead: an unattractive female
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
dapper: a flapper’s dad
dead soldier: an empty beer bottle
dewdropper: a young man who sleeps all day and doesn’t have a job
dogs: feet
doll: an attractive woman
dolled up: all dressed up
don’t know from nothing: doesn’t have any information
drugstore cowboy: a well-dressed man who loiters in public areas trying to pick up women
dry up: shut up, get lost
ducky: very good
dump: roadhouse
E
earful: enough
edge: intoxication, a buzz
egg: a person who lives the big life
F
face stretcher: an old woman trying to look younger than she can pull off
fella: a fellow, a guy
fire extinguisher: a chaperone
fish: (1) a college freshman (2) a first timer
flat tire: a bore
floorflusher: an insatiable dancer
flour lover: a girl with too much face powder
fly boy: a glamorous term for an aviator
fried: drunk
futz: the “F” bomb
G
gams: legs
Get Hot!: encouragement for a hot dancer
get-up: 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
gimp: cripple; one who walks with a limp
gin mill: a seller of hard liquor; a cheap speakeasy
glad rags: fancy clothes
go chase yourself: get lost, scram.
goof: (1) a stupid or bumbling person, (2) a boyfriend
goofy: in love
grummy: depressed
grungy: envious
H
hair of the dog: a shot of alcohol
half seas over or half under: drunk
handcuff: engagement ring
hayburner: (1) a gas guzzling car (2) a slow horse
heavy sugar: a lot of money
heebie-jeebies: an icky feeling
heeler: a poor dancer
high hat: a snob
hip to the jive: cool, trendy
hit on all sixes: to perform 100%; as in a car motor hitting perfectly on all six cylinders
hoary-eyed: drunk
hooch: booze
hood: hoodlum
hooey: nonsense
hop: (1) opiate or marijuana (2) a dance
hope chest: pack of cigarettes
hopped up: under the influence of drugs
horse lineament: bootleg liquor
Hot dawg! or Hot socks!: “Awesome!”
hot sketch: a card or cut-up
I
I have to go see a man about a dog: “I’ve got to leave now,” often meaning to go buy whiskey
icy mitt: rejection
insured: engaged
iron one’s shoelaces: to go to the restroom
ish kabibble: a retort meaning “I should care”
J
jack: money
jake: great, i.e. “Everything’s jake.”
jalopy: a dumpy old car
jane: any female
java: coffee
Jeepers creepers!: “Aw geez!”
joe: coffee
Joe Brooks: a perfectly dressed person
john: a toilet
joint: establishment
jorum of skee: a drink of hard liquor
juice joint: a speakeasy
K
kale: money
keen: appealing
killjoy: a solemn person
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 WWI
line: a false story, as in “to feed one a line”
live wire: a lively person
lollapalooza: a humdinger
lollygagger: (1) a young man who enjoys making out (2) an idle person
M
manacle: wedding ring
mazuma: money
milquetoast: a very timid person; from the comic
book character Casper Milquetoast
mind your potatoes: mind your own business
moonshine: homemade whiskey
mop: a handkerchief
Mrs. Grundy: a prude or kill-joy
munitions: face powder or make-up
N
neck: to kiss passionately
nifty: great, excellent
noodle juice: see tea
nookie: sex
Not so good!: “I personally disapprove.”
Now you’re on the trolley!: “Now you’ve got it!”.
O
off his (her) 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
panic: to produce a big reaction
panther piss or panther sweat: homemade booze
pet: like necking, only more so; making out
petting pantry: movie theater
phonus balonus: nonsense
piffle: baloney
piker: (1) a cheapskate (2) a coward
pinch: to arrest
pinched: to be arrested
pinko: liberal
pipe down: stop talking
pos-i-LUTE-ly: affirmative
punch the bag: small talk
putting on the ritz: after the Ritz Hotel in Paris; doing something in high style; also, “ritzy”
Q
quiff: a slut or cheap prostitute
R
rag-a-muffin: a dirty or disheveled individual
rain pitchforks: a downpour
razz: to make fun of
Real McCoy: a genuine item
Rhatz!: “How disappointing!”
rotgut: bootleg liquor
rub: a casual dance party
rube: an unsophisticated country bumpkin
rummy: a drunken bum
S
sap: a fool, an idiot
sawbuck: ten-dollar bill
Says you!: a reaction of disbelief
scratch: money
screaming meemies: the shakes
screw: get lost, get out
screwy: crazy
sheba: one’s girlfriend
sheik: one’s boyfriend
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
speakeasy: a bar selling illegal 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
swanky: (1) good (2) elegant
swell: (1) good (2) a high class person
T
take someone for a ride: to take someone to a deserted location and murder them
tasty: appealing
tea: marijuana
tell it to Sweeney: tell someone who’ll believe it
tight: attractive
Tin Pan Alley: the center of the music industry in New York City
tomato: a “ripe” female
torpedo: a hired thug or hit man
trip for biscuits: a wild goose chase
U
unreal: special
upstage: snobby
V
vamp: (1) a seducer of men, an aggressive flirt (2) to seduce
voot: money
W
water-proof: a face that doesn’t require make-up
wet blanket: see killjoy
white lightning: bootleg liquor
wife: roommate
What’s eating you?: “What’s wrong?”
whoopee: wild fun
Woof! Woof!: ridicule
X, Y, Z
You slay me!: “That’s funny!”
zozzled: drunk