51吃瓜

Calling all flappers and fly boys! As 2019 comes to a close we鈥檒l find ourselves back in the Roaring Twenties 鈥� 2020, that is. This new decade marks 100 years since the iconic Jazz Age. It was also the time of Prohibition, first-wave feminism, and the automobile.

The 1920s were rich in slang 鈥� we鈥檙e sure you鈥檝e heard some of it from films and books set in the time period. But, some 鈥�20s slang is a bit more obscure.

So let鈥檚 take a linguistic trip through time and look at some words from the 1920s that we could bring back in this new year.

alarm clock

The sound of an alarm clock is usually met with moans and groans; the same reaction after learning there鈥檚 going to be a chaperon at a dance or on a date.

Alarm clocks, a slang term for “chaperon,” at the dance in the 1920s meant you couldn’t neck on the dance floor … or pet each other in the petting pantry (which is the movie theater, of course).

cash or check?

Alarm clocks at the dance often led to the question cash or check?

Translation? Apparently 鈥渟hould we kiss now, or later?鈥�

Likely, the answer would be 鈥渃ash鈥濃�攁nd quick!鈥攂efore the alarm clock screeches again.

dewdropper

No matter if the kiss is the bee鈥檚 knees or a flat tire, when a guy turns out to be nothing but a dewdropper, all bets are off.

Dewdroppers don鈥檛 “dew” anything at all; they鈥檙e lazy guys who snooze all day and don鈥檛 have jobs.

But, beware, because you also didn’t want a cake-eater in the 1920s (he鈥檚 a player who samples too many sweets). What you were looking for was an air-tight (“super attractive”) guy who knows his onions.

know one's onions

Speaking of knowing his onions … this doesn鈥檛 refer to the vegetable.

This phrase was first recorded in a 1922 issue of the magazine Harper鈥檚 Bazaar. If you know your onions, it means that you know what you鈥檙e talking about, or are knowledgeable about a particular subject.

Nowadays, we tend to simplify this phrase as know one鈥檚 stuff, but comparing it to food seems more interesting!

egg

Now, an egg, as slang for “a person,” goes all the way back … to the 1600s. But by the 1920s, egg took a rotten turn, shall we say.

Egg as insult for an “obnoxious person” was popularized in the 1920s. A particularly bad egg was a聽double-yolker.

But it’s not all bad for聽别驳驳听because old egg, an affectionate 1920s slang term for one’s partner, was a popular phrase as well!

face-stretcher

If you were called a face-stretcher in the 1920s, you were being bullied.

贵补肠别-蝉迟谤别迟肠丑别谤听means “an old woman trying to look younger.”

One way one might attempt to accomplish the impossible is by putting on too much powder (which just settles into fine lines and wrinkles and makes them even more noticeable). And even worse, if you were known as a face-powder addict, you were a flour lover.

giggle water

Giggle water is the stuff the Women鈥檚 Christian Temperance Movement fought tooth and nail against鈥攂ooze.

This term, specifically used for champagne, whiskey, and gin, was popularized in the 1920s, though recorded in the previous decade.

ossified / spifflicated / zozzled

No matter what, with the alarm clock permanently unplugged, thus enabling the giggle water to freely pour, you were bound to get ossified, spifflicated, and downright zozzled. Excessive consumption of alcoholic brews naturally zozzles the mind.

Strange to think how dappers and flappers in the 1920s linked getting聽drunk with ossification聽(“the process of turning to bone”).

These slang terms for “being drunk” were notable in the 1920s, though a term like 蝉辫颈蹿蹿濒颈肠补迟别诲听 goes back to the early 1800s!

hotsy-totsy

Hotsy-totsy generally meant “excellent” or “first-rate.”

But if you saw your date as hotsy-totsy, it meant you found them “attractive.”

And a situation itself could become hotsty-totsy too … meaning it was pleasing and fun.

icy mitt

Get ready for some old-school ghosting.

In the 1920s, if your date excused herself to iron her shoelaces (“use the bathroom”), she may actually be giving you the icy (or frozen) mitt, instead. That means they left your date without a word.

No need to fret though, because we found the perfect phrase to use to laugh it off (technically from the 1910s): ish kabibble (curious babble for 鈥渨hat do I 肠补谤别?鈥�).

phonus balonus

If you received an icy mitt on your date and couldn’t ditch the alarm clocks … then your night may have been “totally ridiculous, pure bushwa (“BS”), complete nonsense, absolute applesauce.”

In other words, you may say your night was phonus balonus.

ace

This word might seem familiar to some, as it鈥檚 still used today to refer to something excellent. But this slang sense was actually coined in the 1920s.

In the 1920s, if someone was an ace at something they were great at it. It could be applied to almost anything, including someone鈥檚 quality as a person. It would have been a huge compliment to call one of your buddies ace!

cat's meow

The 1920s were an exciting time in the United States. It鈥檚 probably why there were so many words and phrases used as synonyms for good! There鈥檚 bee鈥檚 knees, cat鈥檚 pajamas 鈥� and the cat鈥檚 meow.

Saying something is the cat鈥檚 meow has a bit of a different connotation than the others. If your doll was dressed in a get up that looked swell, you could say her outfit was the cat鈥檚 meow; it was stylish and charming.

let's blouse

No, this doesn鈥檛 mean 鈥渓et鈥檚 take a trip to the department store and try on some clothes.鈥� Telling a group of friends 鈥淟et鈥檚 blouse from this joint鈥� meant it鈥檚 time to get out of there!

The etymology of this isn鈥檛 entirely clear. However, the image of a woman鈥檚 blouse ruffling and whipping as a car whizzes by on a busy street lends itself to this phrase.

anyhoo

This version of anyhow was popular in the 1920s. It鈥檚 a good transition word to use when wanting to switch up a conversation.

It also sounds like you鈥檙e a true 1920s fellow when used with other slang words: 鈥淎nyhoo, I told my pals let鈥檚 blouse before the coppers got to the speakeasy.鈥�

apple

This is another slang word from the 1920s that we still use today. It鈥檚 mainly seen in the form of bad apple, or someone who isn鈥檛 a good influence due to bad behavior.

Beginning in the 鈥�20s, this slang word is usually preceded by an adjective like poor or tough, or even married to describe someone鈥檚 quality or status as a person.

The slang form of apple literally means 鈥減erson.鈥� Just like that little egg you read about previously.

run with the ball

Invert the structure of this phrase and you get take the ball and run, which we understand to mean as “taking an opportunity and following it.”

But run with the ball seems like a good phrase to bring back into 2020, as it means something slightly different.

Back in the speakeasies, run with the ball meant when someone “assumed responsibility and tackled problems head-on.”

blind date

Being in a blind date situation can either be magical or embarrassing! The mystery, the intrigue 鈥� the icy mitt?

But regardless of the good or bad outcomes, blind dates have been such a popular phenomenon in the US that the phrase actually goes all the way back to the 1920s!

Blind is a metaphor, referring to the fact that a blind date is arranged by a third person for two people who haven’t met.

cutie-pie

Here’s a term of endearment you might have used with your own significant other … and another entry into slang centered around food.

A cutie-pie, usually a young woman, is someone who is adorable or attractive. You鈥檇 be lucky to have one as a blind date!