Splifficated on 1920s Slang

Research can take a writer in odd directions.  This morning, I decided to spend a “few minutes” researching slang from the 1920s for the post-WWI romance I am writing.  A good hour later, I had a lengthy list of words and phrases.  Some were words I had heard before, but never knew when they originated.  Some were a bit strange, and some were just plain fun.   I also quickly noticed that because liquor and criminal activity were on everyone’s minds during Prohibition, much of the slang is tied to one of these.  Regardless,  they were all interesting.
 
I decided to share the bounty with you in my blog today.  So here is a partial list of some of the slang I found.  Some may sound familiar to you, some may make you scratch your head, and some may make you chuckle. 
 

• “Applesauce!” = “Horsefeathers!”  or “Phonus balonus!”  or other words for “That’s nonsense!”
• “Bank’s closed” = what a woman said to stop petting (slang then for making out)
• Bearcat = a lively, spirited woman
• Big cheese = an important or influential person
• Bump off = to murder
• Canceled stamp = a woman who, in other eras, was called a wallflower
• Drugstore cowboy = a well-dressed man who loitered in public places trying to pick up women
• Fall guy = victim of a frameup
• Giggle water = liquor
• Glad rags = a woman’s nice clothes she wore to go out and have a good time
• Handcuff = engagement ring
• Icy mitt = to reject a suitor, or a cold reception
• Joe = coffee
• John = toilet
• Juice joint = an illegal bar or speakeasy
• “Know your onions” = to know what’s going on; know what you’re talking about
• Manacle = wedding ring
• “Mind your beeswax” = “mind your own business”
• Mrs. Grundy = an uptight or strait-laced person
• On a toot = on a bender
• On the lam = to be on the run from the police
• Ossified = drunk
• Petting pantry = a movie theater
• Pull a Daniel Boone = to upchuck (which is also slang from this time)
• Ritzy = something which is high-class or elegant (taken from the hotel)
• Splifficated = drunk (this was one of my favorites)
• Struggle buggy = the backseat of a car
• Tomato = a girl who was pretty but not very bright
• Wurp = a person who was seen as a buzzkill or a wet blanket (which is also slang from this time)
• Zozzled = drunk

 
What did I tell you?  If you’re like me, you knew some of these, but others were totally new.  I think it would be fun to reintroduce some of these into general use.  Which ones would you want to bring back?