Slang of the 1920’s Bull session An informal group talk or discussion

Bump off To murder

The 1920’s were fertile years for language in America; dozens of new
slang words and expressions sprang into existence. Nonsense (a shortened form of “bunkum”, which
is also spelled “buncombe”, from the name of a
Your task is to write a letter to a friend from the point of view of a Bunk North Carolina county whose representative in
teenager from the 1920s, using at least 10 slang words from the list Congress in 1820 explained the irrelevance of a
provided – please underline each slang word. You should write about speech he was making by saying that he was
one of the four changes we discussed during the 1920s – the onset of “talking to Buncombe”)
Prohibition, the changing role of women, the beginning of the Harlem Cake-eater A ladies’ man
Renaissance, or the newest transportation methods. Feel free to add in Carry a torch To suffer from unrequited (unreturned ) love
elements of your ‘daily life’ – talking about school, cars, love interests, Cat’s meow Anything wonderful, similar to bee’s knees
fashion, etc. Cheaters Eyeglasses, often used primarily for reading
Copacetic All good; things being as they should be
Crush An romantic infatuation with a person
Darb An excellent person or thing
Dogs Human feet
A term of derogation; nonsense; same as Drugstore cowboy A fashionably dressed loiterer who hangs around
Applesauce baloney, bunk, banana oil, hokum, or public places trying to pick up girls
horsefeathers Dumb Dora A stupid girl
Baloney Nonsense; something not to be believed Fall guy A scapegoat; someone who takes the blame
Banana oil Nonsense; something not to be beleived Flapper A typical young girl of the ‘20s, usually with
Bee’s knees A superb or awesome person/thing bobbed haircut, short skirts, and rolled stockings
Belly laugh A loud, uninhibited laugh Flat tire A dull, boring person
Berries Anything wonderful; similar to bee’s knees Frame To cause a person’s arrest by giving false
Bible belt An area in the South or south Midwest where evidence to convict them
Fundamentalist religion prevails Gams Girls’ legs
Big cheese An important person Gatecrasher A person who attends a party without an
Blind date A date with an unknown person you’ve never met, invitation, or a show without paying admission
usually arranged by a mutual friend Giggle water An alcoholic drink
A loud derisive noise from an audience (coined by Gin mill A speakeasy; a place to illegally buy and
Bronx cheer the humorist Bugs Baer, who credited Bronx consume alcohol
rooters at athletic events with inventing the loud Gold digger A woman who uses feminine charm to get money
crowd cheer) from a man
 Goofy Silly
Gyp To cheap someone out of something (short for Ritzy Elegant (from the very expensive and lavish hotel
Gypsy, a person who at the time was thought of chain the “Ritz”, originally in Paris)
as cheap or thieving ) A genuine person or thing (derivation is disputed,
Hard-boiled Tough; without feeling or sentiment comes from either a Scottish clan leader named
Heebie-jeebie The jitters, the creeps The Real McCoy MacKay; a boxer named Kid McCoy who had a
Hep Wise rival with the same name, or a bootlegger names
High-hat To snub someone McCoy who did not water down his liquor like
Hokum Nonsense; something not to be believed most did)
Hooch Bootleg liquor (from Hoochinoo, a tribe of Alaskan Run-around Deceptive or delaying in action, especially in
Indians who made strong distilled liquor) response to a request
Hoofer Chorus girl Scram To leave hurriedly (from “scramble”)
Horsefeathers Nonsense; something not to be believed Screwy Crazy; eccentric
Hotsy-totsy Pleasing Sex appeal Physical attractiveness
Jake Okay (most commonly used in the phrase Sheba A young woman who is very attractive
“everything’s jake”) Sheik A young man who is very attractive
Jalopy An old, busted-up car Smeller The nose
Keen Attractive, appealing Sob sister A woman reporter who leans toward
Kiddo A familiar form of address to another person sentimentality in the discussion of her subject
Kisser The mouth matter
Line Insincere flattery Speakeasy A saloon or bar selling bootleg alcohol illegally
Lounge lizard A ladies’ man Spifflicated Drunk
Lousy Bad, contemptible Spiffy Having an elegantly fashionable appearance
Main drag The most important street in a town or city Struggle buggy A car, particularly used by boys when trying to
Neck To snuggle, kiss, or caress intimately seduce girls
Nerts An interjection showing disgust or annoyance Stuck on Having a crush on
Ossified Drunk Swanky Elegant, fancy
Peppy Full of vitality Swell Excellent
Pet To snuggle, kiss, or caress intimately Torpedo A hired gunman
Pinch To arrest someone Upchuck To vomit, particularly from excessive alcohol
Pushover A person or thing easily overpowered or Whoopee Boisterous, convivial fun, sometimes referring to
overcome fun had while being with a romantic partner
Raspberry A loud derisive noise from an audience