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Splifficated on 1920s Slang

6/27/2019

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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?
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