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Feb 9, 2024 · Looking back on 1930s slang gives us insight into the coolest trends of the era. See what the jargon was like and which words have stuck around today.
- Mary Gormandy White
- Staff Writer
- admin@yourdictionary.com
Apr 6, 2024 · As you explore the linguistic characteristics of 1930s slang, you’ll notice how these terms paint a vivid picture of the time. Sources and Influences. The sources and influences of 1930s slang were as diverse as the decade itself. A significant contributor was the African American Vernacular English (AAVE), which introduced words that jazz ...
- Nogoodnik. Given that the suffix -nik denotes a person associated with something, nogoodnik is, expectedly, a word for someone who’s nothing but trouble.
- Bazillion. The largest number we have a name for is the googolplex, or 10 raised to the 10^100 power. In the 1930s, people had a less precise approach to unfathomable quantities—they used bazillion to exaggerate large and indefinite numbers of things.
- Blow One’s Wig. A bazillion of something, whether dollars in your bank account or cars in a line of traffic, might make you blow your wig. In the former situation, the phrase would refer to feelings of happiness or excitement, but according to Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang, blowing one’s wig could also refer to someone feeling furious—which could definitely be the case in the latter situation.
- Ackamarackus. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, ackamarackus is exactly what it sounds like—“pretentious nonsense.” It’s the 1930s equivalent of malarkey or bosher.
4 days ago · Economic hardship inspired slang for unpleasant circumstances. American life in the 1930s wasn’t easy. In 1929, the stock market crashed and triggered the Great Depression, a major economic downturn that led to severe rates of unemployment and business failures. On top of this, the Dust Bowl began in 1931.
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– F. Scott Fitzgerald This glossary of early twentieth century slang in the United States is an alphabetical collection of colloquial expressions and their idiomatic meaning from the 1900s to the 1930s. This compilation highlights American slang from the 1920s and does not include foreign phrases. The glossary includes dated entries connected to bootlegging, criminal activities, drug usage ...
Federal agent, term coined by Machine Gun Kelly: Gobble-pipe: Saxophone: Golddigger: Attractive young woman actively hunting for a rich man: Greaseball, half portion, wet smack, wet sock, jelly bean: Unpopular person: Grifter: A con man or woman: Gumming the works: To cause something to run less smoothly: Gunsel
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Bird - general term for a man or woman, sometimes meaning strange or odd Blind Pig – place where illegal alcohol was served, like a speakeasy. Blind Pigs had deceptive or “blank” fronts –often were in basements, behind peep-holed doors or in the back of legitimate businesses Blocker –Southern term for moonshiner or bootlegger
