Vintage Slang — Back In Time
Before TikTok, before texting — the slang that built the language. Jive, flappers, beatniks, greasers, hippies and old-school hip-hop, all decoded with their real history.
193 words
A young woman — the beatnik counterpart to calling a guy a 'cat.'
To calm down, relax, and let go of tension.
Polari for to smarten, fluff or style up — the word that gave us modern 'zhuzh'.
Polari for a dull or unavailable man — 'naff' here meaning ordinary, possibly 'not available for...'.
Describing music or style with deep, earthy, irresistible groove and soul.
Boy-crazy for men in uniform — the 1940s term for a girl smitten with soldiers.
Lend me your ears, that is, listen up and pay attention.
GI slang for any gadget whose name you don't know — the thingamajig of the WWII era.
Stealing somebody's rhymes, moves, or style and trying to pass it off as your own.
Polari for wonderful or marvellous — a blend of fabulous and fantastic with extra flourish.
A stylish, confident woman who's sharp, sure of herself, and dressed to kill.
Your word is your unbreakable promise, a vow of total truth and honor.
Playing or performing perfectly, locked into the rhythm and feeling it just right.
Polari for a gay man — literally 'man-woman', a coded self-name under criminalisation.
Polari and wider British slang for a drink, usually alcoholic — short for 'beverage'.
A weak, fake rapper with no skills, the kind of MC real ones eat alive on the mic.
A working-class youth with slicked-back hair, leather jacket, and a love of cars and rock-n-roll.
Hopelessly square, dull, or worthless — going nowhere, leading nowhere.
The establishment, authority, or oppressive power structure.
A state of total boredom — a dreary, lifeless place or situation.
A fiery, spirited young woman with attitude and energy to spare.
Nonsense, lies, or foolish talk, the meaty cousin of 'applesauce.'
A swell person or a tune that 'sends' you, thrilling you to your core.
An illegal Prohibition bar, where the 'juice' flowed despite the law.
A disappointing, depressing, or unpleasant experience.
Polari for a woman or girl — likely from Italian 'paglione' or a Romance root.
Everything's fine and in order, a smooth, satisfying word whose origin nobody can fully prove.
Mature content — open to view.
Completely wrong or mistaken, the 1920s way to say you've got it backwards.
Prohibition-era nickname for liquor, named for the loose, laughing mood it brought on.
To show up where the action is — to attend, participate, and be part of the happening.
Mature content — open to view.
Polari for 'look at the pretty face' — vada = look, dolly = pretty, eek = face.
To astonish or overwhelm someone, often expanding their awareness.
An encouragement to keep going, stay persistent, and ride out whatever comes.
To lose emotional control, or to have an overwhelming reaction good or bad.
The overly keen recruit who volunteers for everything — sometimes a compliment, often a tease.
Jive-era slang for the telephone, named after the actor who played the man who invented it on screen.
The ultimate — the absolute end of the line in the best possible way.
The breakup letter every soldier dreaded — the homefront sweetheart calling it off while he's away.