noun General Slang Trending

Hep Cat

/hɛp kæt/ · noun · slang

A sharp, in-the-know person who's wise to jazz, style, and the latest jive.

0

Definitions

1

More broadly, anyone fashionable, alert, and culturally switched-on, regardless of their musical knowledge.

“Look at you in that zoot suit, a real hep cat tonight.”
by community
0
2

A man fully clued in to jazz music, fashion, and the slang of the scene; someone who 'knows what's what' in the hep world.

“That hep cat had every Calloway record before they hit the stores.”
by community
0
3

Used as a term of approval or address among jazz musicians and dancers, marking someone as one of the in-crowd.

“Step up, hep cat, the bandstand's calling.”
by community
0

Hep Cat In A Sentence

Every hep cat in Harlem was down at the Savoy by midnight.
You can't fool a hep cat with last year's licks.
He talked like a hep cat but danced like a square.

Origin & Usage

Coined in 1930s Black jazz culture in Harlem and popularized by bandleader Cab Calloway, who titled his 1938 guide 'The Hepster's Dictionary.' 'Hep' (later 'hip') meant aware or in the know, and 'cat' meant a jazz musician or fellow.

Variants hepcathep-cathipcat
Tags #harlemese#jive#1930s#harlem-renaissance#vintage#jazz#people

People Also Ask

What does hep cat mean in slang?

It means a stylish, knowledgeable person who's tuned in to jazz, fashion, and the hip slang of the day.

Where did hep cat come from?

From 1930s Harlem jazz culture; 'hep' meant aware and 'cat' meant a musician or guy, and Cab Calloway spread it nationwide.

Is hep the same as hip?

Yes, 'hep' was the earlier form and evolved into 'hip' over the 1940s and 50s, carrying the same sense of being in the know.

Comments 0