I have recently made the spur of the moment decision to enter a writing competition and complete an entire novel by April 1st. The theme: crime. But it can't be just ordinary crime. My crime is taking place in the ripe mob culture of Prohibition era, dead center in America's Roaring 20s. I'm currently neck deep in research and learning about all kinds of interesting things, but probably the most important bit of my research is learning how these people spoke.
Dialect and slang are integral parts of any story. It aids in creating the tone, the plot, and the characters. Without a wide variety of terminology, all my character's will either feel out of place or sound the same and we certainly can't have that. So I dug into every online article about 1920s slang and here are 28 that I may just start using myself:
“Don’t take any wooden nickels!”
In modern words: "Don't do anything stupid!" I think everyone can understand how dumb it would be to accept wooden nickels so this phrase makes sense.
To be "on the nut"
A phrase most college students can relate to, to be 'on the nut' means to be 'broke'. So when your friend asks you if you want to go out Friday night, just tell them you're "on the nut".
"Behind the eight ball"
You know when your friend totally throws you under the bus? That's the modern day equivalent to getting tossed 'behind the eight ball.' It means to be in a difficult situation or a tight spot.
"Jake"
I really don't know the reasoning behind this one, but apparently it serves as a word of reassurance meaning 'ok' or 'fine' as in "Don't worry, boss. Everything's jake!" So when I trip down the stairs I can say, "I'm jake." in which my dad would reply, "And I'm Dad."
"Big Cheese"
The boss, the big man, the one in control. If I showed up to work and called my boss 'big cheese' he would either fire me on the spot or be so confused he wouldn't know what to do.
"Know your onions"
To know what's going on or to know what someone's talking about. For example, I don't 'know my onions' politically so I tend to avoid those conversations in order to not make a fool of myself. Don't worry though, I'm learning.
"Bop"
A pleasant word, right? Not in the 1920s. 'Bop' basically means 'to kill.' Sharpay's "Bop to the Top" has a whole new meaning now.
"Mazuma"
Why call it 'dough' or 'cash' when you can call your earnings 'mazuma' instead. The phrase 'swimming in mazuma' is much classier than simply saying 'swimming in cash.'
"Bracelets"
This one is pretty predictable. 'Bracelets' means 'handcuffs.' "They're gonna have you fitted for a ritzy pair a' bracelets if they sniff ya out."
“Now you’re on the trolley!”
"Now you've gotten it right!" or "Now you get it!" A term most definitely said with a dab of sarcasm or honest encouragement. That totally depends on the context.
“Tell it to Sweeney!”
A phrase that cannot be said in anything but a sarcastic tone. It's what you say when you believe something to be untrue like 'bull-crap' or 'as if'. So if someone told me I made a 100% on a physics test I'd say, "Sure, tell it to Sweeney."
"Cheese it"
To put things away or to hide. I wonder if this has anything to do with the snack. "Cheese it! It's the fuzz!"
"Chicago overcoat"
This had me doubled over with laughter when I realized it meant 'a coffin.' What an extra word for a wooden box that holds your corpse. Makes it seem so fancy.
"Close your head"
Just a very simple and blunt way to tell someone to 'shut up.'
“Boiled as an owl,” “lit up like the commonwealth,” “half-seas over"
These all mean 'to be drunk', but I had to include all three because they're just so creative. People nowadays aren't nearly as talented as they were back then in the 1920s when it came to creating catchy phrases. "Just last week I caught you half-seas over in a ditch off Main."
"Fill him with daylight"
To put a hole in, by shooting or stabbing. I haven't really watched any gangster movies (I need to though since I'm literally writing about gangsters), but this is exactly what I envision a cold hearted mob boss saying.
“Cash or check?”
I really love this one. It basically translates to 'will you kiss me now or do we wait until later?' If the other person replies with 'check,' it means to save the kiss for another time. If they say 'cash,' well, I think you can guess.
"Cast a kitten"
It means to throw a tantrum. My six year old sister casts a lot of kittens.
"Togged to the bricks"
This is by far my favorite phrase so far. It's the equivalent to today's phrase 'dressed to the nines.' It means to 'dress fancy or well' or 'dressing to show one's wealth'. I'm definitely going to be using this one.
"Duck soup"
An absolutely non-sensible term meaning 'easy' or 'piece of cake'. So I will most likely not be saying, "That was duck soup!" when I come out of my first physics exam.
"I have to go see a man about a dog."
Such an ambiguous thing to say, but everyone knows where you're headed. When you say you 'have to go see a man about a dog', you're telling everyone you're going to buy some whiskey. Prohibition era, remember. You've got to be inconspicuous about going to buy alcohol. It's kind of illegal at the moment.
"Egg"
Just a random word to replace the 'man' if you feel like you're using it too much. I feel as if it's derogatory. I think Shakespeare used it once. This is another term I will definitely start using. I just really want to call people 'eggs'.
"You slay me"
"You're hilarious." I can only hear this phrase used sarcastically or if someone is just really trying to impress another by laughing at their awful jokes or something.
"Flat Tire"
Have you ever been forced on a date by one of your friends and it turned out that the dude/girl was just plain dreadful. You hated it so much and wanted to leave so bad. Your date was just so disappointing and dull. You could call him/her a 'flat tire.'
"Getaway sticks"
Another phrase that made me laugh. Your 'getaway sticks' are your 'legs.' "Better move them getaway sticks before the coppers toss ya in the cooler."
"Meat wagon"
Ah yes. When I have a heart attack because I'm stressed over physics I can be taken away in the 'meat wagon'. That's 20s lingo for 'ambulance' if you didn't catch on.
"Swanky"
Forget terms like 'lit', 'fancy', and 'awesome', we're in the Roaring 20s part two, let's start saying things are 'swanky'.
"Tighten the screws"
To put pressure on somebody, make them sweat. "Doing my physics homework at the last minute really tightens my screws."
Alright, I've had my fun. Now it's time for me to go binge every single gangster movie and show I can find to really get on the trolley with this lingo. Have fun mixing in some of these words and phrases with your everyday vocabulary. I know I will.
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