AMERICAN SLANG All in, exhausted physically heavy blow All set, in readiness to begin Crook, thief Applesauce, insincere talk ; "bunk" Crust, presumption Attaboy (that's the boy) fine ! Cuckoo, crazy Back number, superannuated Cute, petite ; amusing ; attractive.
Back-talk, impertinence Date, an appointment ; heavy Balled up, confused; mixed up date an extra important ap Banana oil (ejac.) nonsense ! pointment Bat, a spree Dead-beat, worthless fellow Bawl out, to rebuke sharply Dead above the ears, brainless Bean, head Doggy, stylish Beanery, cheap eating-place Dome, head Beat it, get out ; make a rapid exit Dope, the facts in a situation; Beef (to), to complain also drugs, as cocaine.
Beezer, head Dough, money Berry, dollar Down and out, at the end of one's Big boy, a term of admiration resources Big cheese, the "boss" or chief Double-cross, to betray.
Blah, nonsense; piffle Drag, influence.
Blink (on the), out of repair Dry, opposed to liquor Block, head Dub, a stupid person, a silly Blooey (to go), to explode Duck out, to escape Blow in, to spend with great Dumbbell, a fool lavishness Eats, food ; a meal Blues, to be woebegone Easy, gullible; easily duped Blurb, publishers' advertisement Edge, to have the; to have the Bo (abbr. of hobo, q.v.) : mate advantage Boloney, nonsense Fade out, to disappear ; take Bone, dollar quick leave Bonehead, a fool Fake, an imposture Boob, a stupid person Fall down on, to fail at Boost, a recommendation Fall for, to be infatuated with • Bootlegger, dealer in prohibited Fan, fanatic, ardent admirer liquor Fat-head, brainless person, a fool Boy-friend, fiancé, or close friend Fire, to dismiss from a position (used by opposite sex only) Fifty-fifty, divide equally Bottom dollar, last dollar Fixin's, trimmings ; extras, as at Break even, to come out of a a meal game neither winner nor loser Fizzle, a failure Break (to make a) faux pas Flapper, young girl Breaks (to get the) , to be in luck Flat tire, a deflated scheme Bring home the bacon, come Flivver, to pull a, to blunder home victorious in any effort Flop, a failure Broke, penniless Four-flusher, one who promises Buck, dollar without performing Buck (pass the), to shift a Frame, to, to fabricate evidence responsibility to another Frame-up, a trumped-up piece of Buddy, close companion evidence Bull, police Fresh, impertinent Bulldoze, to intimidate; to bully Fritz, on the, out of repair Bull (throwing the), boasting Frost, a failure Bum, vagrant Gab, impudent talk Bun, head Gaff, chaffing ; standing the gaff Bunk, nonsense ; rubbish —standing the pace Busted, without funds Get away with, to carry through Butt in, interfere an action undetected Cagey, wary of giving confidence Get down to brass tacks, deal Call down (to), to correct with the bare facts Call-down, a rebuke Get the gate, be discharged Can, to discharge; to throw out Get one's goat, try one's patience Canned music, that which is Get one's hooks on, get hold of played by mechanical means. Get the bulge, gain an advantage Can you beat it? (equivalent to Get wise to, to become aware of "Did you ever !") Gink, chap Case-note, dollar Girl-friend, fiancée or close friend Caught with the goods, caught in Give-away (usually dead give the act away) , betrayal Chase yourself, get out Give a ring, to telephone Cheap skate, a poor spender Go fish !, Go along ! Cheese it, run ; look out Go, to make a, to succeed Chesty, puffed up ; vain Go-getter, a practical, energetic Chicken feed, small money person Chow, food ; a meal Go over big, to, to succeed Chump, a simpleton Going some, doing well Cinch (also lead-pipe cinch, and Gold-digger, a woman who habit hence shortened to "a pipe," ually wheedles money, gifts, q.v.), a sinecure etc., from gullible males Classy, handsome ; stylish ; chic Good-night !, This is the end ! Cop, policeman Grand, a thousand dollars Crab, to spoil (as to crab an act) Gravy, profit Crack, a shot (figuratively, as a Grouch, a sour, peevish person dirty crack—a mean hit) Grub, food Crash, severe blow ; vb., to deal a Guff, nonsense Gush, to be effusive Monkey-business, foolish trifling Gyp, to cheat Monkey-shines, buffoonery Guy, fellow, as, a regular guy Moonshine, privately distilled Hand-picked, carefully selected whiskey Hang, to get the, to understand Nail, to arrest ; to catch at the Hard-boiled, callous psychological moment Has-been, discarded favourite Neck, to embrace Hash-house, cheap eating-place Nerve, impudent cheek Heebey-Jeebies, the nerves Nifty, stylish ; chic Hick, a country bumpkin Nix ! No ! Highbrow, intellectual (n. or adj.) N.G., no good High-hat, supercilious Nothing doing, no chance what High stepper, one who leads a ever gay or fast life Number, to get one's, to see Hike, a long walk through another's motives Hitch, ride ; sometimes stolen, on Nut, idiot a passing vehicle Nutty, very enthusiastic about Hitch-hike, long-distance walk in- Off one's base t terspersed with begged or prof- Off one's trolley f badly mistaken fered rides in passing vehicles O.K., approved Hobo, tramp, often shortened to Old stuff, out of date "bo" Once-over (also called the double Hock, to pawn ; in hock—in pawn 0) , intense scrutiny Hold on, Wait a minute ! Outfit, group of people, especially Hooey, bunk, falseness a business organization Horn in, to intrude Pan out, to result Hot air, exaggerated statements Pass out, lose consciousness Hot dog, excl. of approval Pass up, to let slip Hot stuff, good work Peach, a pretty girl Hunch, presentiment Peeved, annoyed I'll say, I agree Pep, energy, vim I'll tell the world, I'll say as much Petting, amorous fondling Inside dope, confidential informa- Petting party, social gathering tion with amorous fondling Iron-man, silver dollar Phoney, bogus; not genuine Jack, money Pickled, intoxicated Jack up, to remind, to jog Pie-eyed, intoxicated Jag (to have a jag on), drunken Piffled, half intoxicated spree; to be drunk Pinch, arrest Jazz-baby, usually a young wo- Pipe, a simple task man who is fond of jazz Pipe (vb.), look at ! (derisive)
Jazz-hound, a dance fiend Plant, factory Jazz up, to make lively Played out, exhausted Jinx, hoodoo Poppycock, nonsense Joint, an establishment, as a Poor fish, an ineffective person dance-hall, restaurant, etc. Pronto, immediately Jolly, to keep another person Pull, influence cheerful by saying what he Pull off, to initiate and carry wishes to hear through a plan Josh, to tease Punch, vigour Junk, anything poor in quality Punk, utterly worthless Kale, money Put across, to accomplish by one's Keep your shirt on, keep cool own effort Kick, to complain Put the skids under one, get rid Kid (vb.), to tease of one Knob, head Put wise, to acquaint with the Knock, condemn or criticize facts in a situation Lemon, undesirable person Put over, to accomplish Let down, to cease relations with- Put-up job, a conspiracy out warning Queen, a lovely girl Let up, to cease Queer, to, to compromise, damage Limit, last endurable stage of any Racketeer, a gangster who ex situation, as "Isn't that the tracts money for protection limit ?" Razz, to heckle Line, to get a, to gather informa- Razz (abbr. of raspberry), to get tion about the, to be made fun of Lit, inebriated Regular fellow (or guy), agree Live wire, energetic person able or "good" person Lounge-lizard, man who haunts Ritzy, stylish tearooms for flirtation Rooked, cheated Low-brow, uncultured Root, to shout for Low-down (n.), all the important Rooter, ardent defender information Rotten, worthless Make, on the, on the road to a Rough, unfair successful career Rough up, to treat harshly Make a getaway, escape Roughneck, rowdy Make the grade, accomplish the Rubberneck, a sightseer task in hand (origin of a motor- Rube, a rustic car on a hill) Rum-hound, one who drinks to Main squeeze, the chief excess Mazuma, money Run into the ground, to overdo Melon, financial term, signifies dis- Rustle, to gather ; to go in quest tribution of unusual dividend of, as to rustle food Miffed, piqued Sap, a brainless person Miss out, to let an opportunity Sand, grit ; courage slip by Sec, second Mixer, one who meets all types of Shake a leg, move on persons easily Shine (take a shine to), to become suddenly fond of string to it") Shoestring, on a, with very little Stuck with, foisted with some capital thing undesirable Shoot ! Go ahead ! Stuck on, infatuated by Sidestep, to evade Stuff, the (as "That's the stuff Simoleon, dollar that's the real thing") , the real Simp, simpleton thing Sit in, join with Stung, taken in ; cheated Size up, to make a rapid estimate Stunt, trick, usually acrobatic of Sugar daddy, a rich elderly man Skin, cheat (n. and vb.) who lavishes money and gifts Skin-game, fraudulent enterprise on young women (also called Skirt, woman ; girl sugar papa) Slob, an untidy, careless person Swag, loot Slop, sentiment Swat, to hit, also a blow Slush, sentiment Swell, superfine ; as a swell time, Small-time stuff, unimportant a swell girl, a swell idea.
Snap, sinecure Talk turkey, to speak frankly Snap out of it (or into it), to Tear, a wild spree shift rapidly to or from some Tell it to Sweeney, same as Tell position or procedure it to the Marines! (an expres Snooty, critical sion of incredulity) Sob sister, a woman reporter who Tickle the ivories, play the piano writes over-sentimentally Tip, a hint Sock, a severe blow Tip off, to inform Soft snap, a sinecure Tony, aristocratic Solid ivory, stupid, unintelligent Up and coming, promising Soup and fish, formal dinner dress Up on one's toes, alert, eager Souse, an habitual drinker Up to snuff, competent, up to Sparkler, diamond expectation Speakeasy, place where liquor is Velvet, clear profit sold and drunk illegally Walk-over, an easy task Spondulix, money Wet, opponent of prohibition Squarehead, a Swede Whale (as a whale of a show) ; a Squeal, to betray an accomplice splendid specimen Stand for, endure ; tolerate Wire-puller, a person who con Stand-up, failure to meet an ap- trives for his own ends pointment Whiz, a wonder Steady, fiancé (both sexes) Wow, a great success Steep, exorbitant Wheels (to have), to be mentally Step on it, hurry up unsound Step out, go out on pleasure Wild about, very fond of ; infatu Stewed, intoxicated ated by Strapped, without money ; Willies, the, an attack of "nerves" "broke" Wise-crack, smart remark String, to jolly Yank, to snatch, to drag away String to it, with a ; under condi- Yegg, a thief tions or limitations (usually Yellow, cowardly something is given "with a Yellow streak, a vein of cowardice BIBLIOGRAPHY.-See Maitland's Slang Dictionary (1891) ; R. H. Thornton, American Glossary (1912) ; C. H. Durling, The Jargon Book (1919) ; G. M. Tucker, American English (1921) ; F. N. Scott, "List of American Slang" given in Tract No. 24 of the "Society for Pure English" (Oxford, 1926).