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Whaddya say, gate? Are you in the know, or are you a solid
bringer-downer? - Cab Calloway, 'Are you Hep to the Jive'
INSTRUMENTS:
Guitar: Git Box or Belly-Fiddle
Bass: Doghouse
Drums: Suitcase, Hides, or Skins
Piano: Storehouse or Ivories
Saxophone: Plumbing or Reeds
Trombone: Tram or Slush-Pump
Clarinet: Licorice Stick or Gob Stick
Xylophone: Woodpile
Vibraphone: Ironworks
Violin: Squeak-Box
Accordion: Squeeze-Box or Groan-Box
Tuba: Foghorn
Electric Organ: Spark Jiver
GRAMMAR:
A hummer (n.) -- exceptionally good. Ex., "Man, that boy is a hummer."
Ain't coming on that tab (v.) -- won't accept the proposition. Usually abbr. to "I
ain't coming." Alligator (n.) -- jitterbug.
Apple (n.) -- the big town, the main stem, Harlem.
Armstrongs (n.) -- musical notes in the upper register, high trumpet notes.
Barbecue (n.) -- the girl friend, a beauty
Barrelhouse (adj.) -- free and easy.
Battle (n.) -- a very homely girl, a crone.
Beat (adj.) -- (1) tired, exhausted. Ex., "You look beat" or "I feel
beat." (2) lacking anything. Ex, "I am beat for my cash", "I am beat
to my socks" (lacking everything).
Beat it out (v.) -- play it hot, emphasize the rhythym.
Beat up (adj.) -- sad, uncomplimentary, tired.
Beat up the chops (or the gums) (v.) -- to talk, converse, be loquacious.
Beef (v.) -- to say, to state. Ex., "He beefed to me that, etc."
Bible (n.) -- the gospel truth. Ex., "It's the bible!"
Black (n.) -- night.
Black and tan (n.) -- dark and light colored folks. Not colored and white folks as
erroneously assumed.
Blew their wigs (adj.) -- excited with enthusiasm, gone crazy.
Blip (n.) -- something very good. Ex., "That's a blip"; "She's a
blip."
Blow the top (v.) -- to be overcome with emotion (delight). Ex., "You'll blow your
top when you hear this one."
Boogie-woogie (n.) -- harmony with accented bass.
Boot (v.) -- to give. Ex., "Boot me that glove."
Break it up (v.) -- to win applause, to stop the show.
Bree (n.) -- girl.
Bright (n.) -- day.
Brightnin' (n.) -- daybreak.
Bring down ((1) n. (2) v.) -- (1) something depressing. Ex., "That's a bring
down." (2) Ex., "That brings me down."
Buddy ghee (n.) -- fellow.
Bust your conk (v.) -- apply yourself diligently, break your neck.
Canary (n.) -- girl vocalist.
Capped (v.) -- outdone, surpassed.
Cat (n.) -- musician in swing band.
Chick (n.) -- girl.
Chime (n.) -- hour. Ex., "I got in at six chimes."
Clambake (n.) -- ad lib session, every man for himself, a jam session not in the groove.
Chirp (n.) -- female singer.
Cogs (n.) -- sun glasses.
Collar (v.) -- to get, to obtain, to comprehend. Ex., "I gotta collar me some
food"; "Do you collar this jive?"
Come again (v.) -- try it over, do better than you are doing, I don't understand you.
Comes on like gangbusters (or like test pilot) (v.) -- plays, sings, or dances in a
terrific manner, par excellence in any department. Sometimes abbr. to "That
singer really comes on!"
Cop (v.) -- to get, to obtain (see collar; knock).
Corny (adj.) -- old-fashioned, stale.
Creeps out like the shadow (v.) -- "comes on," but in smooth, suave,
sophisticated manner.
Crumb crushers (n.) -- teeth.
Cubby (n.) -- room, flat, home.
Cups (n.) -- sleep. Ex., "I gotta catch some cups."
Cut out (v.) -- to leave, to depart. Ex., "It's time to cut out"; "I cut
out from the joint in early bright."
Cut rate (n.) -- a low, cheap person. Ex., "Don't play me cut rate, Jack!"
Dicty (adj.) -- high-class, nifty, smart.
Dig (v.) -- (1) meet. Ex., "I'll plant you now and dig you later." (2) look,
see. Ex.,
"Dig the chick on your left duke." (3) comprehend, understand. Ex., "Do you
dig this jive?"
Dim (n.) -- evening.
Dime note (n.) -- ten-dollar bill.
Doghouse (n.) -- bass fiddle.
Domi (n.) -- ordinary place to live in. Ex., "I live in a righteous dome."
Doss (n.) -- sleep. Ex., "I'm a little beat for my doss."
Down with it (adj.) -- through with it.
Drape (n.) -- suit of clothes, dress, costume.
Dreamers (n.) -- bed covers, blankets.
Dry-goods (n.) -- same as drape.
Duke (n.) -- hand, mitt.
Dutchess (n.) -- girl.
Early black (n.) -- evening
Early bright (n.) -- morning.
Evil (adj.) -- in ill humor, in a nasty temper.
Fall out (v.) -- to be overcome with emotion. Ex., "The cats fell out when he took
that solo."
Fews and two (n.) -- money or cash in small quatity.
Final (v.) -- to leave, to go home. Ex., "I finaled to my pad" (went to bed);
"We copped a final" (went home).
Fine dinner (n.) -- a good-looking girl.
Focus (v.) -- to look, to see.
Foxy (v.) -- shrewd.
Frame (n.) -- the body.
Fraughty issue (n.) -- a very sad message, a deplorable state of affairs.
Freeby (n.) -- no charge, gratis. Ex., "The meal was a freeby."
Frisking the whiskers (v.) -- what the cats do when they are warming up for a swing
session.
Frolic pad (n.) -- place of entertainment, theater, nightclub.
Fromby (adj.) -- a frompy queen is a battle or faust.
Front (n.) -- a suit of clothes.
Fruiting (v.) -- fickle, fooling around with no particular object.
Fry (v.) -- to go to get hair straightened.
Gabriels (n.) -- trumpet players.
Gammin' (adj.) -- showing off, flirtatious.
Gasser (n, adj.) -- sensational. Ex., "When it comes to dancing, she's a
gasser."
Gate (n.) -- a male person (a salutation), abbr. for "gate-mouth."
Get in there (exclamation.) -- go to work, get busy, make it hot, give all you've got.
Gimme some skin (v.) -- shake hands.
Glims (n.) -- the eyes.
Got your boots on -- you know what it is all about, you are a hep cat, you are wise.
Got your glasses on -- you are ritzy or snooty, you fail to recognize your friends, you
are up-stage.
Gravy (n.) -- profits.
Grease (v.) -- to eat.
Groovy (adj.) -- fine. Ex., "I feel groovy."
Ground grippers (n.) -- new shoes.
Growl (n.) -- vibrant notes from a trumpet.
Gut-bucket (adj.) -- low-down music.
Guzzlin' foam (v.) -- drinking beer.
Hard (adj.) -- fine, good. Ex., "That's a hard tie you're wearing."
Hard spiel (n.) -- interesting line of talk.
Have a ball (v.) -- to enjoy yourself, stage a celebration. Ex., "I had myself a ball
last night."
Hep cat (n.) -- a guy who knows all the answers, understands jive.
Hide-beater (n.) -- a drummer (see skin-beater).
Hincty (adj.) -- conceited, snooty.
Hip (adj.) -- wise, sophisticated, anyone with boots on. Ex., "She's a hip
chick."
Home-cooking (n.) -- something very dinner (see fine dinner).
Hot (adj.) -- musically torrid; before swing, tunes were hot or bands were hot.
Hype (n, v.) -- build up for a loan, wooing a girl, persuasive talk.
Icky (n.) -- one who is not hip, a stupid person, can't collar the jive.
Igg (v.) -- to ignore someone. Ex., "Don't igg me!)
In the groove (adj.) -- perfect, no deviation, down the alley.
Jack (n.) -- name for all male friends (see gate; pops).
Jam ((1)n, (2)v.) -- (1) improvised swing music. Ex., "That's swell jam." (2) to
play such music. Ex., "That cat surely can jam."
Jeff (n.) -- a pest, a bore, an icky.
Jelly (n.) -- anything free, on the house.
Jitterbug (n.) -- a swing fan.
Jive (n.) -- Harlemese speech.
Joint is jumping -- the place is lively, the club is leaping with fun.
Jumped in port (v.) -- arrived in town.
Kick (n.) -- a pocket. Ex., "I've got five bucks in my kick."
Kill me (v.) -- show me a good time, send me.
Killer-diller (n.) -- a great thrill.
Knock (v.) -- give. Ex., "Knock me a kiss."
Kopasetic (adj.) -- absolutely okay, the tops.
Lamp (v.) -- to see, to look at.
Land o'darkness (n.) -- Harlem.
Lane (n.) -- a male, usually a nonprofessional.
Latch on (v.) -- grab, take hold, get wise to.
Lay some iron (v.) -- to tap dance. Ex., "Jack, you really laid some iron that last
show!"
Lay your racket (v.) -- to jive, to sell an idea, to promote a proposition.
Lead sheet (n.) -- a topcoat.
Left raise (n.) -- left side. Ex., "Dig the chick on your left raise."
Licking the chops (v.) -- see frisking the whiskers.
Licks (n.) -- hot musical phrases.
Lily whites (n.) -- bed sheets.
Line (n.) -- cost, price, money. Ex., "What is the line on this drape" (how much
does this suit cost)? "Have you got the line in the mouse" (do you have the cash
in
your pocket)? Also, in replying, all figures are doubled. Ex., "This drape is line
forty" (this suit costs twenty dollars).
Lock up -- to acquire something exclusively. Ex., "He's got that chick locked
up"; "I'm gonna lock up that deal."
Main kick (n.) -- the stage.
Main on the hitch (n.) -- husband.
Main queen (n.) -- favorite girl friend, sweetheart.
Man in gray (n.) -- the postman.
Mash me a fin (command.) -- Give me $5.
Mellow (adj.) -- all right, fine. Ex., "That's mellow, Jack."
Melted out (adj.) -- broke.
Mess (n.) -- something good. Ex., "That last drink was a mess."
Meter (n.) -- quarter, twenty-five cents.
Mezz (n.) -- anything supreme, genuine. Ex., "this is really the mezz."
Mitt pounding (n.) -- applause.
Moo juice (n.) -- milk.
Mouse (n.) -- pocket. Ex., "I've got a meter in the mouse."
Muggin' (v.) -- making 'em laugh, putting on the jive. "Muggin' lightly," light
staccato swing; "muggin' heavy," heavy staccato swing.
Murder (n.) -- something excellent or terrific. Ex., "That's solid murder,
gate!"
Neigho, pops -- Nothing doing, pal.
Nicklette (n.) -- automatic phonograph, music box.
Nickel note (n.) -- five-dollar bill.
Nix out (v.) -- to eliminate, get rid of. Ex., "I nixed that chick out last
week"; "I nixed my garments" (undressed).
Nod (n.) -- sleep. Ex., "I think I'l cop a nod."
Ofay (n.) -- white person.
Off the cob (adj.) -- corny, out of date.
Off-time jive (n.) -- a sorry excuse, saying the wrong thing.
Orchestration (n.) -- an overcoat.
Out of the world (adj.) -- perfect rendition. Ex., "That sax chorus was out of the
world."
Ow! -- an exclamation with varied meaning. When a beautiful chick passes by, it's
"Ow!"; and when someone pulls an awful pun, it's also "Ow!"
Pad (n.) -- bed.
Pecking (n.) -- a dance introduced at the Cotton Club in 1937.
Peola (n.) -- a light person, almost white.
Pigeon (n.) -- a young girl.
Pops (n.) -- salutation for all males (see gate; Jack).
Pounders (n.) -- policemen.
Queen (n.) -- a beautiful girl.
Rank (v.) -- to lower.
Ready (adj.) -- 100 per cent in every way. Ex., "That fried chicken was ready."
Ride (v.) -- to swing, to keep perfect tempo in playing or singing.
Riff (n.) -- hot lick, musical phrase.
Righteous (adj.) -- splendid, okay. Ex., "That was a righteous queen I dug you with
last black."
Rock me (v.) -- send me, kill me, move me with rhythym.
Ruff (n.) -- quarter, twenty-five cents.
Rug cutter (n.) -- a very good dancer, an active jitterbug.
Sad (adj.) -- very bad. Ex., "That was the saddest meal I ever collared."
Sadder than a map (adj.) -- terrible. Ex., "That man is sadder than a map."
Salty (adj.) -- angry, ill-tempered.
Sam got you -- you've been drafted into the army.
Send (v.) -- to arouse the emotions. (joyful). Ex., "That sends me!"
Set of seven brights (n.) -- one week.
Sharp (adj.) -- neat, smart, tricky. Ex., "That hat is sharp as a tack."
Signify (v.) -- to declare yourself, to brag, to boast.
Skins (n.) -- drums.
Skin-beater (n.) -- drummer (see hide-beater).
Sky piece (n.) -- hat.
Slave (v.) -- to work, whether arduous labor or not.
Slide your jib (v.) -- to talk freely.
Snatcher (n.) -- detective.
So help me -- it's the truth, that's a fact.
Solid (adj.) -- great, swell, okay.
Sounded off (v.) -- began a program or conversation.
Spoutin' (v.) -- talking too much.
Square (n.) -- an unhep person (see icky; Jeff).
Stache (v.) -- to file, to hide away, to secrete.
Stand one up (v.) -- to play one cheap, to assume one is a cut-rate.
To be stashed (v.) -- to stand or remain.
Susie-Q (n.) -- a dance introduced at the Cotton Club in 1936.
Take it slow (v.) -- be careful.
Take off (v.) -- play a solo.
The man (n.) -- the law.
Threads (n.) -- suit, dress or costuem (see drape; dry-goods).
Tick (n.) -- minute, moment. Ex., "I'll dig you in a few ticks." Also, ticks are
doubled in accounting time, just as money isdoubled in giving "line." Ex.,
"I finaled
to the pad this early bright at tick twenty" (I got to bed this morning at ten
o'clock).
Timber (n.) -- toothipick.
To dribble (v.) -- to stutter. Ex., "He talked in dribbles."
Togged to the bricks -- dressed to kill, from head to toe.
Too much (adj.) -- term of highest praise. Ex., "You are too much!"
Trickeration (n.) -- struttin' your stuff, muggin' lightly and politely.
Trilly (v.) -- to leave, to depart. Ex., "Well, I guess I'll trilly."
Truck (v.) -- to go somewhere. Ex., "I think I'll truck on down to the ginmill
(bar)."
Trucking (n.) -- a dance introduced at the Cotton Club in 1933.
Twister to the slammer (n.) -- the key to the door.
Two cents (n.) -- two dollars.
Unhep (adj.) -- not wise to the jive, said of an icky, a Jeff, a square.
Vine (n.) -- a suit of clothes.
V-8 (n.) -- a chick who spurns company, is independent, is not amenable. What's your
story? -- What do you want? What have you got to say for yourself?
How are tricks? What excuse can you offer? Ex., "I don't know what his story
is."
Whipped up (adj.) -- worn out, exhausted, beat for your everything.
Wren (n.) -- a chick, a queen.
Wrong riff -- the wrong thing said or done. Ex., "You're coming up on the wrong
riff."
Yarddog (n.) -- uncouth, badly attired, unattractive male or female.
Yeah, man -- an exclamation of assent.
Zoot (adj.) -- overexaggerated as applied to clothes.
Zoot suit (n.) -- overexaggerated clothes.
Frank Sinatra
Slang:
"If we're gonna be friends, we have to get one thing straight.
This is Sinatra's world. You and me? We just live in it." - The Mask
Bag -- As in "my bag," a person's particular interest.
Barn burner -- A very stylish, classy woman.
Beard -- A male friend who acts as a 'cover', usually for extramarital affairs.
Beetle -- A girl who dresses in flashy clothes.
Big-leaguer -- A resourceful man who can handle any situation.
Bird -- A "suitcase" word sometimes used in reference to the pelvic section.
Bombsvllle -- Any kind of failure in life.
Broad -- Affectionate term for a girl or woman with sex appeal.
Bum -- A person who is despised, most frequently linked to people in the media.
Bunter -- A man who fails in almost everything he does, the opposite of gasser.
Charley -- A general term for anyone whose name has been forgotten. See also Sam.
Charlies -- Admiring word for a woman's breasts.
Chick -- A young and invariably pretty girl.
Clyde -- A word used to cover a multitude of personal observations: viz "I don't like
her clyde" means "I don't like her voice," etc.
Cool -- A term of admiration for a person or place. An alternative word meaning the same
thing is crazy.
Creep -- A man who is disliked for any reason whatsoever.
Crumb -- Someone for whom it is impossible to show respect.
Dame -- A generally derogatory term for a probably unattractive woman. The word dog is
also sometimes substituted.
Dig -- A term of appreciation for a person or thing, as in "I dig her,"
Dying -- As in "I'm dying" which means "I'm slightly upset."
End -- A word to signify that someone or something is the very best.
Endsville -- A term to express total failure, and similar to bombsville. See ville.
Fink -- A man who cannot be relied upon, whose loyalties are suspect.
First base -- The start of something, usually applied in terms of failure when someone has
failed to reach it.
Fracture -- As in "That fractures me," meaning "That's an amusing
joke."
Gas -- A great situation as in "The day was a gas."
Gasoline -- A term for alcohol, more specifically, Frank's favourite drink, Jack Daniel's
Bourbon Whisky.
Gasser -- A man or woman highly admired, considered to be the best or "The End!"
Gofer -- Someone who does menialjobs or runs errands, as in "go for drinks,"
etc.
Good night all -- A term of invective to change the subject of conversation.
Groove -- As in "in the groove," a term of admiration or approval.
Harvey -- A man or woman who acts in a stupid or naive fashion; sometimes shortened to a
"Harve."
Hacked -- A word used to describe someone who is angry, as in "He's hacked off."
Hello! -- A cry of surprise to no one in particular when a beautiful woman is seen.
Hunker -- A jack-of-all-trades rather like the gofer.
Jokes -- A term used to describe an actor's lines in a film script.
Let's lose Charley -- A term used among intimates who want to get rid of a bore in their
company.
Locked-up -- As in "All locked-up," a term for a forthcoming date or engagement,
private or public.
Loser -- Anyone who has made a mess of their life, drinks too much, makes enemies, etc.
Mish-mash -- Similar to loser but refers specifically to a woman who is mixed up.
Mouse -- Usually a small, very feminine girl who invites being cuddled.
Nowhere -- A term of failure, usually applied to a person, viz "He's nowhere."
Odds -- Used in connection with important decisions, as in "The odds aren't
right," meaning not to go somewhere, accept anything or buy something.
Original loser -- A man or woman without talent; sometimes more fully expressed as
"He (she) is the original Major Bowes Amateur Hour loser."
Player -- Term for a man who is a gambler by nature, who makes friends easily, and never
gives up trying.
Punks -- Any undesirable, in particular mobsters, gangsters or criminals.
Quin -- Derisive term for any girl or woman who is an easy pick-up.
Rain -- As in "I think it's going to rain" indicating that it is time to leave a
dull gathering or party.
Ring-a-ding -- A term of approval for a beautiful girl, viz "What a ring-a-ding
broad!"
Sam -- Used in the same way as Charley for a person whose name has been forgotten, most
often applied to females.
Scam --To cheat at gambling, as in "Hey, what's the scam?"
Scramsville -- To run off.
Sharp -- A person who dresses well and with style.
Smashed -- A word used to describe someone who is drunk. On occasions it has been replaced
with "pissed."
Square -- A person of limited character, not unlike a harvey.
Tomato -- As in "a ripe tomato" a woman ready for seduction or even marriage.
Twirl -- A girl who loves dancing. An alternative word with the same meaning is a
"Twist."
Ville -- A suffix used to indicate changes in any given situation. See endsville, etc.
ADDITIONS:
Clam-bake -- A party or get-together.
Platinum -- Having a big heart, generous. "You're platinum, pussycat!"
Solid -- Definite, reliable. (Note: this was also used by Linc in "The Mod
Squad.")
Swing -- v. To hang out and drink, smoke, sing, generally get real loose.
Gangster Slang:
"You dumb mug, get your mitts off the marbles before I stuff
that mud-pipe down
your mush - and tell your moll to hand over the mazuma."
Ameche: Telephone
Babe: Woman
Baby: A person, can be said to either a man or a woman
Bangtails: Racehorses
Barbering: Talking
Be on the nut, to: To be broke
Bean-shooter: Gun
Beezer: Nose
Bent cars: Stolen cars
Berries: Dollars
Big house: Jail
Big one, the: Death
Big sleep, the: Death
Bim: Woman
Bindle: 1. of heroin: Little folded-up piece of paper. 2. The bundle in which a hobo
carries all his worldy posessions.
Bindle punk: A hobo or derelict hired to do rough or unpleasant work. (Could perhaps refer
to a small time drug dealer as well.)
Bindle stiff: One who steals a hobo's bindle
Bing: Crazy ??
Bird: Guy
Blip off: To kill
Blow: Leave
Blow one down: Kill someone
Blower: Telephone
Bo: Pal, buster, fellow, as in "Hey, bo"
Boiler: Car
Boob: Dumb guy
Boozehound: Drunkard
Bop: To kill
Box job: A safecracking
Brace (somebody): Grab, shake up
Bracelets: Handcuffs
Break it up: Stop that, quit the nonsense
Breeze: To leave, go. Also breeze off - get lost
Broad: Woman
Bucket: Car
Bulge, as in "The kid had the bulge there": The advantage
Bulls: Cops (perhaps plainclothes detectives)
Bump: Kill
Bump off: Kill; also, bump-off - a killing
Buncoing some (people): Defrauding some people
Bunk: 1. As in "That's the bunk" - that's false, untrue. 2. As in "to
bunk" - to sleep
Bunny, as in "Don't be a bunny": Don't be stupid.
Burn powder: Fire a gun
Bus: Big car
Butter and egg man: The money man, the man with the bankroll, a yokel who comes to town to
blow a big wad in nightclubs.
Button: Face, as in "a poke in the button"
Buttons: Police
Butts: Cigarettes
Buy a drink: To pour a drink
Buzz, as in "I'm in the dump an hour and the house copper gives me the buzz":
Looks me up, comes to my door
Buzzer: Policeman's badge
C, or C-note: $100, also a pair of C's = $200
Cabbage: Money
Caboose: Jail
Call copper: Inform the police
Can: Jail
Can-opener: Safecracker who forces open cheap safes
Case dough: "Nest egg ... the theoretically untouchable reserve for emergencies"
Cat: Guy
Century: $100
Chew: Eat
Chicago overcoat: A coffin
Chick: Woman
Chilled off: Killed
Chin: A conversation; also chinning = talking
Chin music: A punch on the jaw
Chinese angle, as in "You're not trying to find a Chinese angle on it, are
you?": a strange twist (not that Chinese people are actually involved)
Chippy: Woman of easy virtue
Chisel: To swindle or cheat
Chiv, chive: Knife, or other stabbing or cutting weapon
Chopper squad: Guys with machine guns
Clammed: Close-mouthed, as in clammed up
Clean sneak: An escape with no clues left behind
Clip joint: In some cases, a night-club where the prices are high and the patrons are
fleeced. Also, a casino where the tables are fixed
Clipped: Shot
Close your head: Shut up
Clubhouse: Police station
Coffee-and-doughnut, as in "These coffee-and-doughnut guns are ...": Could come
from "coffee and cakes," which refers to something cheap or of little value.
Conk: Head
Cool, as in "He cooled me": To knock out
Cooler, the: Jail
Cop: 1. Detective, even a private one. 2. To win, as in a bet
Copped: Grabbed by the cops
Copper: 1. Policeman. 2. As in "All time served except his copper"
Corn: Bourbon (as in corn liquor)
Crab: Figure out
Crate: Car
Creep joint: ?? Can mean a whorehouse where the girls are pickpockets, but that doesn't
fit here
Croak: To kill
Croaker: Doctor
Crushed out: Escaped (from jail)
Cush: Money (a cushion, something to fall back on)
Cut down: Killed (esp shot?)
Daisy: None-too-masculine
Dame: Woman
Dangle: Leave, get lost
Darb: Something remarkable or superior
Deck, as in "deck of Luckies": Pack of cigarettes
Diapers, as in "Pin your diapers on": Clothes, get dressed
Dib: Share (of the proceeds)
Dick: Detective (usually qualified with "private" if not a policeman)
Dingus: Thing
Dip: Pickpocket
Dip the bill: have a drink
Dive: A low-down, cheap sort of place
Dizzy with a dame, to be: To be deeply iin love with a woman
Do the dance: To be hanged
Dogs: Feet
Doll: Woman
Dope: 1. Drugs, of any sort. 2. Information. 3. As a verb, as in "I had him doped
as" - to have figured for
Dope fiend: Drug addict
Dope peddler: Drug dealer
Dormy: Dormant, quiet, as in "Why didn't you lie dormy in the place you climbed
to?"
Dough: Money
Drift: Go, leave
Drill: Shoot
Drink out of the same bottle, as in "We used to drink out of the same bottle.":
We were close friends
Droppers: Hired killers
Drum: Speakeasy
Dry-gulch: Knock out, hit on head after ambushing
Ducat: Ticket
Duck soup: Easy, a piece of cake
Dummerer: Somebody who pretends to be (deaf and?) dumb in order to appear a more deserving
beggar
Dump, as in "We did the dumps": Roadhouse, club; or, more generally, any place
Dust: 1. Nothing, as in "Tinhorns are dust to me". 2. Leave, depart, as in
"Let's dust" . 3. A look, as in "Let's give it the dust"
Dust out: Leave, depart
Dutch: 1. As in "in dutch" - trouble. 2. As in "A girl pulled the Dutch
act" - committed suicide. 3. As in "They don't make me happy neither. I get a
bump
once'n a while. Mostly a Dutch." - relates to the police
Egg: Fellow
Eggs in the coffee: Easy, a piece of cake, okay, all right
Elbows, as in "And there's no elbows tagging along": Police
Electric cure: Electrocution
Fade: Get lost
Fakeloo artist: Con man
Fin: $5 bill
Finder: Finger man
Finger, as in put the finger on: Identify
Flat: 1. Broke 2. As in "That's flat" - that's for sure
Flattie: Flatfoot, cop
Flimflamm: Swindle (Op, 23, 251)
Flippers: Hands? (Lake, 139)
Flivver: A Ford automobile
Flogger: Overcoat
Flop: 1. Go to bed. 2. As in "The racket's flopped" - fallen through, not worked
out
Flophouse: "A cheap transient hotel where a lot of men sleep in large rooms"
Fog: To shoot
Frail: Woman
Frau: Wife
From nothing, as in "I know from nothing": I don't know anything
Gashouse, as in "getting gashouse": Rough
Gasper: Cigarette
Gat: Gun
Gate, as in "Give her the gate": The door, as in leave
Gaycat: "A young punk who runs with an older tramp and there is always a connotation
of homosexuality"
Gee: Guy
Geetus: Money
Giggle juice: Liquor
Gin mill: Bar (speakeasy?)
Gink: Guy
Girlie: Woman
Give a third: Interrogate (third degree)
Glad rags: Fancy clothes
Glaum: Steal
Glomming: Stealing
Go climb up your thumb: Go fly a kite, go stick your thumb up your ass
Go over the edge with the rams: To get far too drunk
Go to read and write: Rhyming slang for take flight
Gonif: Thief (Yiddish)
Goofy: Crazy
Goon: Thug
Goose: Guy
Gooseberry lay: Stealing clothes from a clothesline
Gowed-up: On dope, high
Grab (a little) air: Put your hands up
Graft, the: 1. Con jobs 2. Cut of the take
Grand: $1000
Grift, as in "What's the grift?": What are you trying to pull?
Grifter: Con man
Grilled: Questioned
Gum, as in "Don't ... gum every play I make": Gum up, interfere with
Gum-shoe: Detective, also gumshoeing = detective work
Gun for: Look for, be after
Guns: Hoodlums
Gunsel: 1. Gunman (Hammett invented this use). 2. Boy homosexual. 3a. (p) A male oral
sodomist, or passive pederast. b. A brat. c. (By extension) An informer;
a weasel; an unscrupulous person." 4. (Note) Yiddish "ganzl" = gosling
Hack: Taxi
Half, a: 50 cents
Hammer and saws: Police (rhyming slang for laws)
Hard: Tough
Harlem sunset: Some sort fatal injury caused by knife
Hash house: A cheap restaurant
Hatchetmen: Killers, gunmen
Have the bees: To be rich
Have the curse on someone: Wanting to see someone killed
Head doctors: Psychiatrists
Heap: Car
Heat: A gun, also heater
High pillow: Person at the top, in charge
Highbinders: 1. Corrupt politician or functionary. 2. Professional killer operating in the
Chinese quarter of a city.
Hittin' the pipe: Smoking opium
Hitting on all eight: As in cylinders, in good shape, going well
Hock shop: Pawnshop
Hogs: Engines
Hombre: Man, fellow
Hooch: Liquor
Hood: Criminal
Hooker, as in "It took a stiff hooker of whiskey": A drink of strong liquor
Hoosegow: Jail
Hop: 1. Drugs, mostly morphine or derivatives like heroin. 2. Bell-hop (Lake, 73)
Hop-head: Drug addict, esp. heroin
Horn: Telephone
Hot: Stolen
House dick: House detective
House peeper: House detective
Ice: Diamonds
In stir: In jail
Ing-bing, as in to throw an: A fit
Iron: A car
Jack: Money
Jake: Okay
Jakeloo: Okay
Jam: Trouble, as in "in a jam"
Jasper: A man (of a certain type?)
Java: Coffee
Jaw: Talk
Jerking a nod: Nodding
Jingle-brained: Addled
Jobbie: Guy
Joe: Coffee, as in "a cup of joe"
Johns: Police
Joint: Place, as in "my joint"
Jorum of skee: Shot of liquor
Joss house: Temple or house of worship for a Chinese religion
Juice: Interest on a loanshark's loan
Jujus: Marijuana cigarettes
Jump, the: A hanging
Kale: Money
Keister: Suitcase, also spelt keyster (Also means buttocks or safe/strongbox)
Kick, as in "I got no kick": I have nothing to complain about
Kick off: Die
Kisser: Mouth
Knock off: Kill
Knockover: Heist, theft
Lammed off: Ran away, escaped
Large: $1,000, as in "twenty large"
Law, the: The police
Lay: 1. Job, as in Marlowe saying he's on "a confidential lay" ; or more
generally, what someone does, as in "The hotel-sneak used to be my lay" 2. As in
"I gave
him the lay" - I told him where things stood (as in lay of the of land)
Lettuce: Folding money
Lit, to be: To be drunk
Loogan: Marlowe defines this as "a guy with a gun"
Look-out: Outside man
Lousy with: To have lots of
Lug: 1. Dumb Guy. 2. Bullet 3. Ear.
Made: Recognized
Map: Face
Marbles: Pearls
Mazuma: Money
Meat, as in "He's your meat": There's your man, in this case, there's the guy
you'll follow
Meat wagon: Ambulance
Mesca: Marijuana
Mickey Finn, take a: 1. Take off, leave. 2. A drink drugged with knock-out drops.
Mill: Typewriter
Mitt: Hand
Mob: Gang (not Mafia)
Moll: Girlfriend
Monicker: Name
Mouthpiece: Lawyer
Mud-pipe: Opium pipe
Mug: Face
Mugs: Guys (esp. dumb)
Mush: Face
Nailed: Caught by the police
Nance: An effeminate man
Nevada gas: Cyanide
Newshawk: Reporter
Newsie: Newspaper vendor
Nibble one: To have a drink
Nicked: Stole
Nippers: Handcuffs
Nix on (something): No to (something)
Noodle: Head
Nose-candy: Cocaine, Heroin in some cases
Number: 1.A person, can be either a man or a woman. 2. To work someone over, as in
"you really did a number on that guy."
Off the track, as in "He was too far off the track. Strictly section eight":
Said about a man who becomes insanely violent
Op: Detective (esp. private), from "operative"
Orphan paper: Bad cheques
Out on the roof, to be: To drink a lot
Oyster fruit: Pearls
Pack: To carry, esp. a gun
Palooka: Guy, probably a little stupid
Pan: Face
Paste: Punch
Paw: Hand
Peaching: Informing
Peeper: Detective
Pen: Jail, penitentiary
Peterman: Safecracker who uses nitroglycerin
Pigeon: see Stool-pigeon
Pill: 1. Bullet. 2. Cigarette
Pinch: An arrest, capture
Pipe: See or notice
Pipe that: Get that, listen to that
Pipes: Throat
Pistol pockets: ?? heels?
Pitching woo: Making love
Plant: Someone on the scene but in hiding
Plugs: People
Pooped: Killed
Pop: Kill
Pro skirt: Prostitute
Puffing: Mugging
Pug: Boxer
Pump: Heart
Pump metal: Shoot bullets
Punk: Hood, thug
Puss: Face
Put down: Drink
Put the screws on: Question, get tough with
Queer: 1. Counterfeit. 2. Sexually abnormal
Rags: Clothes
Ranked: Observed, watched, given the once-over.
Rap: 1. Criminal charge. 2. Information, as in "He gave us the rap". 3. Hit
Rappers, as in "There were a couple solved for the record, but they were just
rappers": Fakes, set-ups
Rat: Inform
Rate: To be good, to count for something
Rats and mice: Dice, i.e. craps
Rattler: Train
Redhot: Some sort of criminal
Reefers: Marijuana cigarettes
Rhino: Money
Ribbed up, as in "I got a Chink ribbed up to get the dope": Set up, arranged
for? "I have arranged for a Chinese person to get the information"?
Right: Adjective indicating quality
Right gee: A good fellow
Right guy: A good fellow
Ringers: Fakes
Rod: Gun
Roscoe: Gun
Rub-out: A death
Rube: Bumpkin, easy mark
Rumble, the: The news
Run-out, as in to take the: Leave, escape
Sap: 1. A dumb guy. 2. A blackjack
Sap poison: Getting hit with a sap
Savvy?: Get me? understand?
Sawbuck: $10
Scatter, as in "And don't bother to call your house peeper and send him up to the
scatter": 1. Saloon or speakeasy. 2. A hideout, a room or lodging.
Schnozzle: Nose
Scram out: Leave
Scratch: Money
Scratcher: Forger
Screw: 1. Leave, as in "Let's screw before anybody pops in" 2. Prison guard.
Send over: Send to jail
Shamus: (Private) detective
Sharper: A swindler or sneaky person
Shatting on your uppers: To be broke
Shells: Bullets
Shine: 2. Bootleg whiskey.
Shiv: Knife
Shylock: Loanshark
Shyster: Lawyer
Silk, as in "all silk so far": All okay so far
Sister: Woman
Skate around, as in "She skates around plenty": To be of easy virtue
Skipout: Leave a hotel without paying, or a person who does so
Skirt: Woman
Slant, get a: Take a look
Sleuth: Detective
Slug: 1. As a noun, bullet 2. As a verb, to knock unconscious.
Smell from the barrel, have a: Have a drink
Smoked: Drunk
Snap a cap: Shout
Snatch: Kidnap
Sneak: 1. Leave, get lost, as in "If you're not a waiter, sneak" 2. Type of
burglary,
as in as in "The hotel-sneak used to be my lay"
Sneeze: Take
Snooper: Detective
Snort (as in of gin): A drink
Snow-bird: (Cocaine) addict
Snowed: To be on drugs (heroin? cocaine?); also snowed up
Soak: To pawn
Sock: Punch
Soup job: To crack a safe using nitroglycerine
Souping the kidneys: ?? driving fast?
Spill: Talk, inform. spill it = tell me
Spinach: Money
Spitting: Talking
Square: Honest, "on the square" = telling the truth
Squirt metal: Shoot bullets
Step off: To be hanged
Sticks of tea: Marijuana cigarettes
Stiff: A corpse
Stool-pigeon or Stoolie: Informer
Stringin': As in along, feeding someone a story
Sucker: Someone ripe for a grifter's scam
Sugar: Money
Swift, to have plenty of: To be fast (on the draw)
Tail: Shadow, follow
Take a powder: Leave
Take it on the heel and toe: Leave
Take on: Eat
Take the air: Leave
Take the bounce: To get kicked out (here, of a hotel)
Take the fall for: Accept punishment for
Tea: Marijuana
That's the crop: That's all of it
Three-spot: Three-year term in jail
Throw a joe: Pass out ??
Throw lead: Shoot bullets
Ticket: P.I. license
Tiger milk: Some sort of liquor
Tighten the screws: Put pressure on somebody
Tip a few: To have a few drinks
Tip your mitt: Show your hand, reveal something
Tooting the wrong ringer: Asking the wrong person
Torcher: Torch singer
Torpedoes: Gunmen
Trap: Mouth
Trigger man: Guy who does the shooting on a job
Trip for biscuits, as in "You get there fast and you get there alone - or you got a
trip for biscuits": Make the trip for no purpose, achieve no results
Trouble boys: Gangsters
Turn up: To turn in (to the police)
Twist: Woman
Two bits: $25, or 25 cents.
Up-and-down, as in "to give something the up-and-down": A look
Uppers, as in "I've been shatting on my uppers for a couple of months now":
Broke
Vag, as in vag charge, vag law: Vagrancy
Vig, Vigorish: Interest on a loanshark's loan
Weak sister: A push-over
Wear iron: Carry a gun
Wheats, as in "a stack of wheats": Pancakes
White: 1. Good, okay, as in "white dick". 2. As in a gallon of - gin
Wikiup: Home
Wire, as in "What's the wire on them?": News, "What information do you have
about them?"
Wise, to be: To be knowledgeable of, "put us wise" - tell us
Wise head: A smart person
Wooden kimono: A coffin
Worker, as in "She sizes up as a worker": A woman who takes a guy for his money
Wrong gee: Not a good fellow
Wrong number: Not a good fellow
Yank: ?? tough situation?
Yap: Mouth
Yard: $100
Yegg: Safecracker, "who can only open a rather cheap and vulnerable safe"
Zotzed: Killed