Tomcats was the version for males. (Apparently a derogatory term nowadays)Kid, kid brother, kid sister – Used to refer to someone (usually) younger than you but can also be a friendly term for your friends.
meaning is like wow and geeze (in some cases). in a general sense it means “take a rest”, but it’s also “take the easy way / lessen pressure on someone”. Used the same today.Fink – general insult. Bull – short for “bullshit” or “bull-crap” but a little nicer wording. Can basically always be a substitution for the word “place”, especially “establishment/business”.Joss house – Chinese temple. If you’ve ever wanted to talk like characters from an old movie or the folks from The Great Gatsby, now’s your chance. A little mean.Drop in the bucket – a super tiny amount, insignificantDump – “an unpleasant place”, typically dirty, with broken things, and not where a normal person would like to go.
used the same today.Sugar – money(?? This insult from Fonzie on Happy Days pretended the slang's origins were in the 50s. Used as a term of endearment for all ages/genders, but most commonly young women. not quite “fantastic”.To stick around – used the exact same way today. can mean in a criminal sense or in a “bad feelings” sense. – what’s the big idea / what’re you doing / why are you doing this. so long isn’t necessarily like “farewell (won’t be seeing you for a while”) but is also used like that too.“will ya have a cigarette?” instead of “would you like/do you want a cigarette” [The Doorway to Hell, 1930 movie]“boys” used to mean “you guys” and “my gang” or a crowd of men, any group of men basically.“no place” and “someplace” in some cases used where today we’d say “nowhere” and “somewhere”.fudge-drunk – extremely drunk [The Doorway to Hell, 1930 movie]“one flight up, in the front” – i’m on the second story (up one flight of stairs), facing the street(?) “you’ve been an what for – used often instead of “why” in questions.“so what?” – used the same as today, just as sarcastically too.“What’s that to you?” = how does that concern you, “how is that any of your business?”Sorry for the awful blog layout. “if absolutely necessary” (dictionary definition). ).Egg – a person. Means a violent/reckless person, in some cases possibly used to mean mafia members in general. used the same today except “flip” is used instead of “give”.Greaseball – general insult to mean you’re a bad/slimy person (used the same way today). used the same today.Hardware, Gats, rods – guns. [The Doorway to Hell, 1930 … Still seen today in the phrase “he’s a loose cannon”. Used the same today, except today only an unsavoury person would use this (it reminds you of a dirty, crude, or homeless person).Boyfriend, girlfriend – Did refer to the person you were dating, but could also just mean a friend (girlfriend was used by other girls to mean “my friend who is a girl”, but guys didn’t use boyfriend that way). Slang of the 30s : Abercrombie: A know-it-all: Abyssinia: I'll be seeing you: Aces, snazzy, hot, nobby, smooth, sweet, swell, keen, cool: Very good Used the same today.What’s the idea? Jerk?
A list of slang words and phrases that were used during the 1940s, and their meanings. Occasionally meant “fired”.Cab, street car – taxi cab. By Kristin Hunt.
Still used today but it feels like “your silly old dad’s speech” or speech for little kids.Gunning – to set one’s sights upon something, to aim at something. you can say “she’s gone hard” to mean she’s turned to a life of crime/turned into a criminal, or “hard feelings” to mean someone is upset/mad about something or someone.
You still see this today, but usually reserved for the phrase “make it snappy”.Sob, sob story – something that makes you pity a person so you help them (typically when the person doesn’t really deserve it). “a cage” meant “a jail cell”.Call bets off, call off bets – to cancel/change plans, or for something to be very unpredictable. Skip out means “don’t go on purpose to something you should” today so possibly it was used the same then.Slugger – “a person who throws hard punches” (dictionary definition). to run away from an agreed plan (impling that you are a coward).
still used in some English dialects today.Back out – semi-insult. Also meant a photograph. Used exactly the same today.Hook shop – Short for “hooker shop”, meaning a brothel.To hop something – to get on something (typically a vehicle that you yourself aren’t driving), to seize an opportunity. Some people still use this today.Silk hats, high hats – silk top-hats, “rich/fancy people”To let something sink in – “let that sink into your brain”, think about it for a moment, remember it. Thanks a lot!
still seen today in “i’m gonna level with you” and “level with me”.Liable (gangster slang) – probable, going to. “Lift” xan also mean picking someone up without consent (such as taking someone to the police office) but that is more uncommon.Light (noun) – fire for a cigarette/cigar, either from a lighter or matchstick. “Game” was the older word for racket.Rap, taking the rap – Used the same way today. Source: “Footlight Parade”, from 1933.To pull a bone – “to make a bone-headed move”, to do something really stupidTo pull something – to do something, to make something happen, to get away with doing something, implied something bad/stupid/a trick.Pull up!