They Say Em' From the Golden Era - Slang & Memorable Phrases

[StetsonHomburg]

30's and 40's Sayings

Here are some interesting sayings from the golden era:

Beefburger - another name for hamburger, which was considered misleading
Steakburger - a high-class and high-priced beefburger
Slimline - sleek styling of consumer products such as radios and TV's
TTFN - ta-ta for now!
Mugs - a violent robbery; from the boxing expression "hit in the mug (face)"
Sweater girl - a movie starlet who wears tight sweaters to call attention to her bust
Toecover - a cheap, useless item given as a gift
Oceanarium - a huge aquarium that can hold dolphines, whales or other large creatures
Peek-a-boo - a woman's hairstyle in which the hair falls over one eye, but not the other
Unputdownable - exactly what it sounds like - a book or magazine that's so good you can't put it down
Vacky - an evacuee; during WWII British women and children moved from the cities to the safer countryside
Shortie - prefix for extra short garments; shortie skirts, shortie pajamas, etc. (we call those things "mini" now)
Step out - to parachute from an airplane
Whizzo - wonderful
Delhi belly - intestinal disorder experienced by wester visitors to India
Squillion - an unspecified, very large number like zillion
Supremo - the highest military officer in the land, kind of like generalissimo
Nurembergs – haemorrhoids
Ackamarackus - nonsense
Clip joint - a bar that charges really high prices
Ripple - ice cream with colourful syrup in it that gives it flavour and that "ripple" for the look
Trafficator - some 1930's cars had instead of blinkers - "arms" on either side of the car that could be raised when the driver wanted to turn
Thumber - hitchhiker
That's one for Ripley - in reference to "Ripley's Believe it or Not!" cartoons; i.e., anything strange/bizarre
Gruntled - Happy (dropping the dis from "disgruntled")
The Magoo - Sex appeal
Superette - a tiny supermarket; think 1930's 7-11
Glamour boy - a muscle-y "pretty boy"
Gaff - a building or house
pen-friend - pen-pal
Shy-making - embarrassing
Sky-shouting - broadcast messages to the ground using loudspeakers (in relation to sky-writers)
Modock - a man who becomes a military pilot to be glamourous and have sex appeal
Milk bar - a regular bar, but the drinks are made with milk, not alcohol (where we got our milkshakes)
Spliff - a marijuana cigarette
Balls-up - messed up, screwed up
Slim - to lose weight by dieting
Gravel - sugar
Candy Leg - a rich and popular young man
Melon - a financial windfall
Barnburner - a wild party

 

[Mario]

StetsonHomburg - Cool stuff! There is a whole thread dedicated to phrases and sayings from the Golden Era. Click here.

 

[StetsonHomburg]

:kick: That is the 3rd time I have created a thread then find out it already excists!

 

[Mario]

My, this only goes to show that you're actually spot on with those topics!

 

[stillsparkling]

This list is swell! Thanks for posting.

 

[FraeuleinBerlin]

Hey, we still say quite a few of these in Britain you know!

 

[Puzzicato]

Hey, we still say quite a few of these in Britain you know!

Yes - beefburger, slimline, unputdownable, squillions, clip joint, ripple icecream, gaff & spliff are all current, and in Australia you still go to the milk bar (I think the equivalent in NZ is the dairy, which I think is cute).

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"OK Toots!"

 

[Forgotten Man]

Hows about some Jitterbug slangage?

Say, what's buzzin' cousin? Don't be a drip, come on, get hip! If ya wanna stay a live, ya gotta hit that jive!

No squares allowed, see? Strictly for the ones in the know... Ok worms, let's squirm! Hit it boys, let's go to town... Well O' REET!

Some hard boiled slang and word usage:

Look here ya mug, why don't you get wise to your self? Ya fouled me, ya gummed up the works. If ya try that again, it'll be curtains, see? Now, button yer yap and keep yer nose clean from here on out, or it'll be just too bad, get me?

Yes, I've watched a few old movies. lol

 

[Silver Dollar]

I still talk like that anyway. No wonder nobody gets me. :eusa_doh:

 

[AtomicEraTom]

This thread reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons. I can't remember the exact conversation, but this is the gist of it.

Spud "We use insults cat calls, slang from the thirties nobody uses anymore"
Bart "Like Rubes?"
Spud "Now you're on the trolley!'

 

[CherryWry]

My grandmother would frequently classify something she didn't like as "for the birds." Usually punctuated with an eye-roll for good measure.

"This rain is for the birds."

Overpriced stores, waiting in line, poorly written crochet patterns, lousy hands at cards...all for the birds.

 

[Shangas]

This thread reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons. I can't remember the exact conversation, but this is the gist of it.

Spud "We use insults cat calls, slang from the thirties nobody uses anymore"
Bart "Like Rubes?"
Spud "Now you're on the trolley!'

I know that episode. It's called "Bart Carny".

 

[Roundhouse]

Didn't see if, though, I may have missed it. "Rub out" To kill

 

[Silver Dollar]

Since you want to rub 'em out, ya gotta put 'em in cement shoes so they sleep real good with the fishes. Give 'em the old deep six.

 

[Undertow]

wow, now there's a list!

 

[Kopf-Jaeger]

I remember when I was a kid two phrases my Great-Grandfather said refering to some ner' do wells. I hope these don't offend anyone:

"That boys crazier than a sh*thouse rat!"
"Useful as tits on a bull!"

I also remember he always called the couch a 'Davenport" and the stool a 'Hassock" (spelling?) Funny how stuff pops into your head and you recall it.

 

[davestlouis]

I'm in the funeral biz, and have heard several REALLY old people recently use a phrase that struck me funny...

They would refer to the funeral and burial as putting someone away
eg: I had a lot of money when I put dad away, so we put him away real nice.

Pardon the grammar...

 

[Chas]

That's actually kind of cool. And apt.

 

[davestlouis]

My dear, departed grandfather was an earthy man, and something of a bigot, so most of his sayings are not fit for public consumption. He referred to the loo as the "facilities". If someone hit their head, they "bipped their melon". The chewing tobacco that he carried around in a pouch was "chaw".