fne eoarlns TWentles Shns
The twenties were the first decade to emphasize youth cutture over the otder
generations, and the ftapper sub-cutture had a tremendous inftuence on
society; many new words and phrases were coined during this decade. Many of
these are stitl used today!
Can you guess what these phrases and words mean?
1. baloney:
9. Ftapper:
10.
1
fliwer:
1. gotd-digger (1925):
12. Jatopy:
13. know one's onions:
14. What's eating you?:
15. You slay me:
16. Spiffticated:
17. Neck:
18. Apptesauce:
rnr nonzuruG rrRrrrurirs
Teenogers in the I920's hod iheir own "slong". In your groups try
to define
these 1920's terms.
!
I
!
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I
!
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I
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!
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big cheese
heebie jeebies
cqt's meow
qll wet
r'l
U
Q 1r
pvl
rl
U
tl
n
n
U
I
!
t-t
I
!
!
!n
!
!
!
n
U
U
tl
U
f/^f
glll
Y.la
giggle wqter
dogs
h"p
the reql McCoy
nanLi',.'rrtlrr lv
r 4vv
smeller
opplesouce
spiffy
flot tire
rtrr'' r^ o
rsrrrlJp
I
cheqters
drugstore cowboy
gold digger
ritzy
swonky
shebo
sheik
speok-eosy
dumb dorq
foil guy
hord boiled
copacetic
bull session
nar^l-ir''-t
r rve4!4r
rv
torpedo
ossified
{l^^^^rrL{lJ]Jsr
THE S I-ANG OFT]IE RO A RI}IG TUENTIES
Match the following expressions with the proper meaning.
wet
baloney
B. human feet
hrr-vqrty
C. friendly
-dl
_
A. alcohol
v{
^ffr
buuk
form of address
D.falling in iove
a torch
E-
a.
cat's meow
fasbignably dressed young man who hangs
_ .around public places tr-ring to pick up girls
F. insincereflanery
crush
_Q.
rrp-to-date
-carry
H. to leave quickly
drugstore cowboy
I. wrong, misb-ken
flapper
J- to be hopeiessly
flet firp
IC elegant
gafe crasher
T
!. f^
w
cisole water
Ivl.
-dogs
1r
cn
in love
tttggvl
-tr-rlo-
qpical giri of &e 1920s with bobbed hair, sbort
skirt, and roiled-dow.n stockiags
N. oonsense
-+E
give the high hat
Q. grear
-u-y
-to
kiddo il
P. nonsense
a line
Q.to be a suob
ritzy, swanky
R.
_real
McCoy
runaround
_scralll
a car
iu which boys rry to seduce gi-rls
S. boring percon
T. fashionable
LI. aa uninvited guest
easy
W. genuine article'
spiffy
-speak
buggy
-sh'uggle
-swell
V. delaying action
X. a bar selling iilegal liquor
Y. superb, wonderfui
The .lazz Aga GlqssarY
The eruberant
d,ozens of
Much of the new uerb'iage was scornful of
neu word,s and, etpressions spro'ng i,nto ex'istence.
established, uaas;
meaning
,Z\s were entraord,'inarilg ferti,Ie gears Jor language in America;
no
less
than half a ilozen of the terms are roughly sgnongmous words
,'nonsense." A partial I'ist of terms that were coined' or popularized
U,L wET-wrong; arguing a mistaken notion
rr beiief.
APPLESAUCE-a term ol derogation; nonsense;
same as baloney, bunk, banana oil, hokum and
horsefeathers.
in
county whose representative in Congress in
1820 explained the irrelevance of a speech he
was making by saying that he was "talking to
Buncombe").
DRUGSTORE COWBOY-a fashionably dressed
idler who hangs around public places trying to
pick up girls.
DLMB DORA-a stuPid girl.
FAI,L GUY-a scapegoat.
BAI,ONEY-nonsense; same as applesauce, etc'
FLAPPER-a typical young girl of the '20s, usually with bobbed hair, short skirts and rolied
BAIiANA Oll-nonsense; same as above'
BEE'S
the d'ecade appears below'
stockings.
KIiEES-a superb person or thing'
Dragstore Cowbog
BELLY LAUGH-a loud, uninhibited iaugh'
FLAT TIRE-a dull, boring Person'
FRAME-Io cause a person's arrest by giving
faise evidence.
BERRIES-anything wonderfui; similar to bee's
knees.
GA}l-a girl's leg (from French
BIBLE BELT-an area in the South or south
Midwest where Fundamentalist religion prevaiis (coined by H. L. Nlencken).
BLIND DATE-a date with an unknown person
of the opposite sex, usually arranged by a mu-
tual friend.
dia\ecL gambe)'
CAKE-EATER-a ladies' man.
CARRY
Iove.
A TORCH-Io suffer from unrequited
CAT'S MEow-anlthing wonderful;
bee's knees, berries.
similar to
Big
Cheese
CHEATERS-eYegIasses.
COPACETIC-excellent.
Dumb Dora
CRUSH-an infatuation wiih
a person of
posite sex.
DARB-an excellent person or thing'
the opGATECRASHER-a person who attends a party
without an invitation, or a show without paying
admission.
DOGS-human feet.
GIGGLE WATER-an aLcoholic drink.
GIN
BIG CHEESE-an lmportant Person'
MILL-a
sPeak-easY.
BRONX CHEER-a loud derisive noise from an
GOLD DIGGER-a woman who uses feminine
charm to extract moneY from a man'
who credited Bronx rooters at athletic events
with inventing t'his mode of expression '
cOoFY-sillY.
audience (coined by the humorist Bugs Baer'
G\?-to
BULL SESSION-an informal group discussion'
BUIVIP
cheat (from
gAqsa
).
tL{RD-BOILED-tough; without sentiment'
OFF-to murder.
HEEBIE-JEEBIES-the jitters.
BUNK-nonsense; same as applesauee' etc' (a
shortened form ofbunkum, wlich is also spelled
Auncombe, from the name of a North Carolina
HUP_MSE.
280
fIGH-IIAT-Io
LO{.rNGE
snub.
LIZARD-a ladies' man; same as cake-
eater.
LO{r
SFI.EBA-a young woman
SY-bad; contemptible'
NIAIN DRAG-the most important street
town or citY.
SEX APPEAL-physical attractiveness [o members of the oPPosite sex.
in
a
with
sex appeal'
SHEIK-a young man with sex appeal'
SMELLER-the nose.
SOB
SISTER-a woman reporter who ieans to-
ward sentimentality in the treatment of her
subject matter.
Necktng
SPEAK-EASY-a saloon or bar selling bootleg
whiskey.
appiesauce' etc'
HOKIINI-nonsense; same as
SPIFFY-having
Hooch'i'noo' a
HoOCH-bootleg liquor lftom
distilled
made
ffi;';} ett.xui Indians who
an elegantly fashionable
appearance.
l,
Liquor).
SPIFFLICATED-drunk.
IlOOFER-chorus girl'
STRI-r'GGLE
BUGGY-a car (from its use as a
place in which boys tried to seduce girls)'
She'ik and, Sheba
NECK-to caress intimatelY'
STUCK ON-having a crush on'
NERTS (N UTS)-an interjection expressing the
speaker's disgust.
S\4ANKY-ntzY.
S\to
OSSIFlED-drunk.
ELl-marvelous.
PEPPY-full of vitalitY.
PET-same as neck.
PINCH*to anest'
PUSIIOVER-a person or thing easily overcome'
HORSEFEATIlERS-nonsense;
same as apple-
RASPBERRY-same as Brorx cheer'
sauce, etc.
RITZY-elegant (from R:itz, the Paris hotei)'
HOTSY-TOTSY-PIeasing'
(the
REAL NrcCOY, THE-the genuine article
a
iiom
either
it
comes
dispute;
in
is
derivation
Scottish clan leader named NlacKay; a boxer
the
named Kid NlcCoy, who had a rival with
JAKE-okay (most commonly usedin the phrase
"Everything's jake").
.u*. rru*",
JAI,OPY-an old car.
KEEN-attractive; aPPealing.
KIDDo-a familiar form
KISSER-the mouth.
LINE-insincere flattery.
or a bootiegger named NlcCoy who
did not adulterate his liquor)'
of address'
RUN-ARO{TND-deceptive or deiaying action'
especially in response to a request'
SCRA-N1-Io leave
hurriedly (from suamble)'
SCREWY-crazY; eccentrlc'
281
TORPEDO-a hired gunman'
UPCHUCK-to vomit.
WHOOPE
E-boisterous, convivial fun'