![]() ![]() Clean sneak: An escape with no clues left behind.Chump: Person marked for a con or a gullible person.Chiv: Knife, “a stabbing or cutting weapon.”.Cat’s pajamas: Term of endearment, as in “I think you are really really cool.”. ![]() Cat’s meow: Something splendid or stylish.Carry a torch: Suffering from unrequited love.Can-opener: Safecracker who opens cheap safes.Buzz: Looks person up, comes to person’s door.Butter and egg man: The money man, the man with the bankroll, a yokel who comes to town to blow a big wad in nightclubs.Bump off: Kill also, bump-off a killing.Bump gums: To talk about nothing worthwhile.Bum’s rush/to get the: To be kicked out.Bulls: Plainclothes railroad cops uniformed police prison guards.Bull session: An informal group chat or discussion.Breeze: To leave, breeze off get lost.Bing: Jailhouse talk for solitary confinement.Big cheese, Big shot: The boss - someone of importance and influence.Berries: Anything wonderful similar to bee’s knees.Behind the eight ball: In a difficult position, in a tight spot.Bee’s knees: An extraordinary person, thing, or idea.Baloney: Nonsense, something not to be believed.Baby: A person, can be said to either a man or a woman.Here are more than 400 swell 1920s slang words and phrases (and their meanings) that are the cat’s pajamas and the bee’s knees. Faced with constant raids from law enforcement, pop culture and slang changed to include many words to describe and alert others about cops.Īs we go roaring into this decade, let’s take a look back at how people spoke 100 years ago. We feel the impact of their work to this day.Īnother important fact about the 1920s to keep in mind: As Prohibition forced the bar and club scene into hiding, the speakeasy was born and became a part of our vernacular. Icons such as Langston Hughs, Zora Neal Hurston, and Louis Armstrong changed the American cultural conversation forever. The 1920s also saw the birth of the Harlem Renaissance, a watershed moment that celebrated Black cultural voices in music, art, theater, literature, and more. No wonder we are still fascinated by them 100 years later. Her fashion was glamorous and risky, she smoked, she went dancing, and some even made their own money. She was not her mother or grandmother’s old-fashioned woman. The Roaring Twenties, or the Jazz Age as it’s also known, saw the first signs of the “liberated woman,” leading to the birth of the “flapper.” The flapper was outspoken, she had the right to vote, she was fun-loving, and demanded sexual freedom. Fun, right? Did you know the youth culture of today found its footing in this decade of progress and excess? Drinking alcohol was outlawed, sexuality was no longer hidden, and an artistic and cultural movement changed society forever. And that’s all totally valid… but also, it’s the ‘20s again right now. When someone mentions “ the ‘20s” you probably think of flappers, speakeasies, and The Great Gatsby. ![]()
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