Every generation has its own slang. I remember growing up and saying phrases and words and my parents acting all, “WTF?”. Every generation, every decade, has their thing and that got me thinking: how fun would it be to dig into some of the weirder slang terms used over the past hundred years?
You game to see how many you recognize? Better yet, how many you still use yourself? Then let’s go!
1900s
Bash: A drunken spree
Goop: A stupid person
Hanging: Excellent, outstanding (“Hanging new tie there, old man!”)
Hep: Part of the current musical culture (“That cat is hep!”)
Hawkshaw: A detective
Wisenheimer: Someone who thinks he or she is smarter than everyone else
1910s
Date: A stupid person
Duck soup: Something easy
Gas: A joke
Grifter: A con artist
Hoosegow: Prison
Jake: Alright (e.g., “Is everything Jake out here?”)
On the make: Flirting, making advances on people (“Sandra was really on the make last night.”)
Meathook: A hand (preferably used while yelling at the police to stop dragging you to the hoosegow — “Get yer meathooks off me!”)
1920s
Bank’s closed: No kissing or making out (“Sorry babe, bank’s closed.”)
Butt me: Give me a cigarette
Cash or check?: Do you kiss now or later?
Chassis: The female body
Copacetic: Wonderful, fine, all right
Dead soldier: An empty beer bottle
Drugstore cowboy: A guy that hangs around on a street corner, trying to pick up girls
“I have to go see a man about a dog”: To go buy whiskey
Fish: A college freshman or a first-timer in prison
Get a wiggle on: To get going
Giggle juice: Alcohol
Glad rags: Going out clothes
Horsefeathers!: An expletive
Juice Joint: A speakeasy
Moll: A gangster’s girl
Orchid: Something expensive
Ossified: Drunk
Scrooched: Drunk
Splifficated: Drunk
Zozzled: Drunk
(boy, they had a lot of words for drunk!!!)
1930s
Abercrombie: A know-it-all
Abyssinia: I’ll be seeing you
Blow your wig: To become really excited
Bumping gums: To talk about nothing useful
Butter and egg man: The man with the money
Dog soup: A glass of water
Dizzy with a dame: To be really in love with a woman, possibly at risk of danger for oneself
Eggs in coffee: To run smoothly, or a general phrase of approval
Snipe: A cigarette
The kiss off: The final exit, as in death
“You shred it, wheat!”: You said it
1940s
Cook with gas: To do something right
Dead hoofer: A bad dancer
Ducky shincracker: A good dancer
“Hi sugar, are you rationed?”: Are you going steady?
Motorized freckles: Insects
Pennies from heaven: Easy money
1950s
Ankle-biter: A child
“Are you writing a book?”: You’re asking too many questions
Back seat bingo: Making out in a car
D.D.T.: “Drop dead twice.” (Appropriate response: “What, and look like you?”)
Frosted: Angry
Lay a patch: To accelerate so rapidly you leave a patch of rubber on the road
Subterranean: A hipster
1960s
All show and no go: Looks good superficially
Bogart: To keep for yourself
Fine as wine: Good looking
Five finger discount: To steal something
Foam domes: padded bras
Mirror warmer: Woman who spends a lot of time looking in the mirror
Submarine races: An excuse given for parking next to the water to make out — you’re there to watch the “submarine races”
1970s
Bogue: Used to describe something offensive or an unrealistic idea
Bone jack: To steal a dead person’s style
Brick house: A well-built woman
Decent: Cool
“Does anybody remember laughter?”: A popular joke phrase started by Robert Plant during a ’70s performance of “Stairway to Heaven”
Sit on it: An insult, i.e., “Sit on it, creep!”
Stop dipping in my Kool-Aid: Get out of my business
What a fry: Something or someone that blows your mind, is weird, or crazy
1980s
Ash people: People who wore all black (goths)
Bag your face: Put a bag over your face, i.e., you’re ugly
Barf me out: Valley Girl expression used to express disgust
“Cheeuh!”: Yeah, totally, duh; basically just a sound
Clydesdale: A big all-American boy
Kirk out: To freak out
Mall-maggot: Kids hanging out at the mall who don’t have anything better to do
What’s your damage?: What’s your problem?
Zeek: A major geek
1990s
Bone out: To leave
Bugging: Freaking out
Cheddar: Money
Lurker: A person who enters electronic chat rooms without making a contribution
Props: Short for “proper dues;” to give someone credit
Talk to the hand: Super sassy ’90s phrase that just means you’re ignoring someone
Scrub: A loser guy
Wacked: Used to describe someone who’s totally weird or crazy
2000s
Wazzup: What you say when meeting up with friends
Chillax: Relax and chill, man
Bling: Expensive, flashy jewelry
Biatch: A clever way of saying “bitch” without saying “bitch”
Buzzin’: Blissfully happy
Diss: To disrespect someone
‘Sup: A greeting; short for “what’s up?”
Bouya!: A term to show triumph
Digits: Telephone number; “Give me your digits and I’ll holla (call) you back when I get home.”
Sending you good laughs, and…
♥ Namaste ♥
Content (mostly) discovered on Bustle.com.
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Terri Herman-Ponce 
Pretty fun to see what I didn’t know.
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Yep. I learned a lot too. 😊
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I remember more of these than I’m willing to admit , Terri LOL. Reading your post was such a trip, it was fab. Peace out 😉
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Lol — glad I could entertain.
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Great post. You and #Elizabeth Meyette are such word geeks! I love it.
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Yes, we are! And we’re proud of it! 😊
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It’s a new language to me. I’ll have to send you some Aussieisms.
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Please do! We’d love to learn more.
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I love this comprehensive list, Terri! Hoosegow and Hawkshaw? So dope! 🙂
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Lolol — glad you enjoyed. I had so much fun pulling this together.
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